No. 1 seed Gents Basketball ready for title run in SCAC tournament
Kerrville, Texas – The No. 1 seed Centenary men's basketball team will face the Schreiner Mountaineers on Saturday in the semifinals of the 2020 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Championship in a game set for noon inside Stephens Family Arena.
The Gents (16-9, 13-5 SCAC) earned the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament for the first time in school history. Centenary, which is riding an eight-game winning streak entering Saturday's contest, was the No. 2 seed three times previously and made the championship game each time, most recently in 2018.
Schreiner (11-15, 9-10 SCAC) defeated Trinity by a score of 75-54 in Friday's quarterfinals to advance to Saturday's semifinal round. The Gents and Mountaineers split the season series, each winning on their home court. Schreiner defeated the Maroon and White, 72-65, on Jan. 3 in Kerrville while Centenary returned the favor with a 66-63 victory on Jan. 31 in the Gold Dome.
Saturday marks the third meeting between the two schools in SCAC tournament play. The Gents defeated Schreiner, 74-66, in the semifinals of the 2014 tournament and Schreiner defeated the Maroon and White, 77-73, in the 2018 championship game.
Centenary rallied to defeat the University of Dallas, 77-73, on Senior Night on Saturday as the Gents set a program record for longest winning streak in a season in the current Division III era with their eighth win in a row and also finished with their best home record (10-1) in the Division III era. Centenary set a Division III program record for conference wins in a single season with Friday's 84-71 victory over Austin College.
Senior guard Cedric Harris (Shreveport) led the Gents on Saturday with 19 points in 32 minutes and grabbed seven rebounds. He shot 7-14 from the floor and 3-8 from three-point range. Harris, a favorite for SCAC Player of the Year, scored 17 on Friday at home against Austin College and had 12 rebounds. Harris ranks third in the SCAC with 19.9 points per game and fifth in rebounding, averaging 8.6 per game. Harris has also made the most three-point baskets (90) in the SCAC averaging 3.6 makes per game. Harris scored 28 against St. Thomas on Feb. 14 and has eclipsed the 20-point mark 13 times this season.
Sophomore forward Neil Hawkins (Titusville, Fla.) scored 16 points on 6-7 shooting in the win over Dallas on Saturday and had six rebounds and two assists. Hawkins ranks third in the SCAC in field goal percentage (.538) and 11th in rebounding as he averages 6.8 per game.
Freshman forward Seth Thomas (Kilgore,Texas) added 14 points and seven rebounds while freshman guard Ralph Johnson (New Iberia, La.) chipped in 11 points and two assists and two steals in 30 minutes. Johnson, who scored a career-high 28 points in 38 minutes on Friday, reached double figures for the 12th time this season and for the fifth-straight game. He has seven double-doubles in his last 10 games and ranks in the top 25 in the league in scoring (23rd), field goal percentage (12th), and assists (ninth). Thomas is tied for 10th in the league in steals with 35.
Hawkins, Thomas, and Harris all rank in the top 15 in the conference in blocked shots while Hawkins is seventh in offensive rebounds and Harris is second in defensive rebounds.
Sophomore forward Ty Prince (Thorndale, Texas) grabbed 13 rebounds to go along with his 17 points against Austin College as he posted his sixth double-double of the season. He also had four assists, a block, and a steal in 34 minutes.
Live stats and live video will be available for Saturday's game at scacsports.com. #GoCentenary #CTheOpportunity
Friday - Quarterfinals at Schreiner University
Men's Game 1 - Noon CT - #4 Schreiner 75 vs. #5 Trinity 54 FINAL
Men's Game 2 - 2 p.m. CT - #3 Texas Lutheran vs. #6 Southwestern
Women's Game 1 - 5 p.m. CT - #4 Schreiner vs. #5 Texas Lutheran
Women's Game 2 - 7 p.m. CT - #3 Colorado College vs. #6 Southwestern
Saturday - Semifinals at Schreiner University
Men's Game 3 - Noon CT - #1 Centenary vs. #4 Schreiner
Men's Game 4 - 2 p.m. CT - #2 Austin College vs. Winner of Men's G2
Women's Game 3 - 5 p.m. CT - #1 Trinity vs. Winner of Women's G1
Women's Game 4 - 7 p.m. CT - #2 Austin College vs. Winner of Women's G2
Sunday - Finals at Schreiner University
Men's Game 5 - Noon CT - Winner of Men's G3 vs. Winner of Men's G4
Women's Game 5 - 2 p.m. CT - Winner of Women's G3 vs. Winner of Women's G4
For more information on the 2020 SCAC Men's Basketball Tournament, click here for the official website.