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Tigers tripped up at home

MCC men 1-4 at home after loss to Hawks

T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE - Marshalltown Community College sophomore Trey Sinegal (10) drives in for a reverse layup against Northeast defender Collin Storr during the second half of Saturday’s game at the Student Activity Center. Northeast defeated MCC 71-69.

The opportunity to end a cold spell at home presented itself to the Marshalltown Community College men’s basketball team, but the Tigers couldn’t take advantage.

MCC led by as many as 12 points in the second half but couldn’t lock down the victory, falling 71-69 to Northeast CC on Saturday inside the Student Activity Center.

Bryan Rolle swished a high-arching 3-pointer from the corner for Northeast (4-3), which erased a double-digit deficit during the second half to lead by as many as five, 67-62, with three minutes left to play.

Intent on reversing their fortune of close home-court losses, the Tigers (3-6) scored the next seven points to put the Hawks against the wall. Trey Sinegal sank a 3-pointer and completed a three-point play to help MCC move in front, 69-67, with 1:28 remaining, but Rolle’s rainmaker nearly a minute later was the deciding dagger.

Sinegal’s 3-point attempt in the waning moments missed the mark and Northeast’s Saheed Sanusi made 1-of-2 free throws at the other end. Sinegal’s desperation heave from three-quarter court came up short as time expired, saddling MCC with its fourth loss in five home games.

Each of the last three were decided by five points or fewer.

“Honestly we lost the game today before we even started the game,” said MCC head coach Ryan Flack. “When you’re late to breakfast, when you’re late to shootaround, when you’re late getting on the floor, your results are going to reflect those things I think.

“I thought we just didn’t execute down the stretch the last few possessions and I’ll take the blame for that, but at the same time our habits reflect in how we play and that’s kind of how the last three games have been. We’ll get another crack at [Northeast], but this time at our own place unfortunately we dropped four home games which is not the way we want to play at our own place.”

MCC held a five-point halftime lead and used a 9-0 run to gain a 12-point advantage, 48-36, four minutes out of the intermission. Northeast consistently chipped away and changed the landscape with a barrage of 3-pointers, making three of them in a 14-5 run that got the Hawks within one, 57-56.

Emaniel Alexandre’s last of three second-half treys gave Northeast its 67-62 lead, but MCC countered as well.

In the end, however, it was the Hawks on top.

“Credit to Northeast, they’re well coached and those kids played really, really hard,” said Flack, “but at the same time it’s a lead lost from earlier in the game for us and we just didn’t play the right way. We just had a lot of selfishness going on and until that changes, you’re going to see probably the same result.”

Alexandre led Northeast with a game-high 22 points. Ben Hammond added 12 points on four 3-pointers and Jared Lopex added 11 points.

MCC was paced by Gedeon Shango, Zion Obanla and Sinegal with 12 points apiece. Angus Ole added 11 points off the bench as the Tigers got 40 of their 69 points from non-starters.

Tyler Burrows finished with eight points, six rebounds and six assists, and Xavier Calhoun pitched in five points.

Kaleb Collins chipped in three points, two steals and an assist in his first playing time of the season, as he and Tomas Hjalmarsson made their first starts.

“Credit to several guys,” Flack said. “Tomas and Kaleb came in for us and I thought they did a heck of a job. Kaleb was so good we played him more of the game, so that was encouraging. They come to work everyday in practice. Joey Tollefson played in the first half and I thought he gave us some really good minutes.”

Shango had six rebounds and five blocked shots, and Obanla added six boards as well.

The Tigers are back on their home court Monday night with a 7 p.m. game against the Grand View University’s junior varsity squad.

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