LamarStatesports Posted February 13, 2010 Report Posted February 13, 2010 http://www.panews.com/sports/local_story_042235258.html?keyword=secondarystoryBy Tom Halliburton The Port Arthur News Almost all of downtown Port Arthur's opening Mardi Gras night activities were shot down Thursday, but not the Lamar State College-Port Arthur Seahawks.San Jacinto College, its dreaded full-court pressure, its legendary coach and its No. 13 national ranking roared into Carl Parker Center with a 20-4 record. Apparently San Jac should not have messed with the Seahawks during Mardi Gras.Lamar State unleashed a ball-hawking defense on San Jac early and rolled to a much easier victory than the 66-55 final score suggested.It arguably may have been as prestigious of a triumph in this school's history. It certainly was not a fluke and it was a strong indication that LSC-PA (16-9 and 6-8) wants to qualify for the NJCAA Region XIV men's tournament Mar. 4-8 in Tyler.San Jacinto (20-5 and 9-5) trailed 14-2 seven minutes into this game. The underdog Seahawks only had to play on even terms the rest of the night with 23rd-year head coach Scott Gernander's Ravens. Yet first-year head coach Matt Cross' squad commanded a 36-19 halftime advantage and padded it to a whopping 52-23 by midway in the second half.That's a bit more impressive than barely defeating Navarro College in Carl Parker Center 62-56 on Jan. 16. But the Seahawks started the night on a four-game losing streak and needed a win to improve their survival mode.A number of Division 1 coaches took in this game, including Lamar boss Steve Roccaforte. Perhaps that's why 6-8 sophomore Ahyaro Phillips put his best foot forward.Jumping to the ceiling with superb vertical leap, the New Orleans transfer from Nevada-Las Vegas scored 20 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked six shots while disturbing a number of others. Phillips, Elkins 6-9 freshman Gordan Ball and Flint, Mich. freshman Keenan Coleman contributed four steals apiece. That stat, more than any, told this game's early story."That was our plan early," Seahawks coach Cross said. "They're a set-oriented half-court team and we wanted to keep them from getting into their half-court offense."It's been hard to get them to play consistently for 40 minutes. This was a great win for our program. This is definitely a signature win for us, probably our most prestigious win because of the great tradition and history of San Jac's program."San Jacinto's Gernander is one of the true legends in junior college basketball. The Ravens' 23rd-year head coach with 606 victories never saw Thursday night's performance coming from his squad, which has been ranked as high as No. 5 in the nation this winter."I was embarrassed," the Ravens head coach said. "I've never been as embarrassed. Our big plan coming into the game was stressing ball-control and then we had two turnovers right in the first minute."Lamar State forced 17 turnovers -- seven in the first five minutes.The Seahawks shot 46.4 percent, owning a mesmerizing 55-26 edge with 8:37 to play. That's about the time San Jac decided to get its act together. The Ravens delivered 11 unanswered points and produced a 19-2 run, reducing Lamar State's lead to 57-45 with three minutes to go. That was still too much to overcome in too little time.Brooklyn freshman Dion Waiters and Houston freshman Ball supported Phillips with 12 and 10 points respectively. Coleman and Kavon Rose added eight each. New Zealander Dion Prewster of San Jac led all scorers with 21 points. The only other Raven in double figures was Marsell Holden with 12."We've got to keep it going now, though," Cross said. "We've played real well here but we've struggled more on the road."The Seahawks need to continue their Mardi Gras mentality Saturday in Lufkin against Angelina College at 4 p.m.
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