McNeil’s double-double leads San Jacinto to 78-61 win over Trinity Valley

3/10/2008 Sophomore Devin McDonald looks to pass during San Jacinto College’s 78-61 victory over Trinity Valley Community College in quarterfinal action at the Region XIV tournament in Kilgore.

KILGORE, Texas – Sophomore Maurice McNeil poured in a game-high 25 points, and added 12 rebounds, as San Jacinto College defeated Trinity Valley Community College (TVCC) 78-61 Saturday in opening round action at the Region XIV tournament at Masters Gymnasium in Kilgore.

San Jac (23-8) struggled with its shooting in the first half, and trailed the Cardinals by as much as five early. With less than 10 minutes to go in the first half, TVCC led 17-13, and the two teams played to a defensive battle, with no one scoring for over five minutes. San Jac finally knocked down a two-point basket, and followed that with a jumper from long range, to take the lead. SJC led 33-26 at the half and never looked back.

“I thought we stepped up defensively, especially in the second half, after we struggled shooting during the first half,” said head coach Scott Gernander. “We played great after we got on track offensively. I definitely think our defense was the difference today.”

San Jac took a double-digit lead halfway through the second half, and went on to lead by as many as 17.

McNeil’s 25 points came on 10-of-19 shooting. The 6-8 freshman went five-of-nine from the line, grabbed 12 boards, blocked two shots and had one steal. Sophomore guard Stavon Williams added 14 points and three steals for SJC, and freshman Devin McDonald added 13 points and eight assists.

As a team, SJC shot 38 percent from the field and 77 percent from the charity stripe.

Trinity Valley was led by Rashad Amir, who scored 22 points on eight-of-17 shooting. The Cardinals shot 37 percent from the field for the game, and just 53 percent from the free throw line.

San Jac will face either second-seed Paris or seventh-seed Blinn Sunday night at 6 p.m. For tournament updates and live game coverage, visit the Region XIV tournament website at www.kilgore.edu/xivtournament.asp.

For more information on the San Jacinto College baseball program, click on the athletics page at http://www.sanjac.edu, or call 281-459-7613.