Sagay leads way in second half comeback as MCC stuns Southern Maine CC

MANCHESTER – Ericka Sagay (Bloomfield) had 23 points, 20 rebounds, 10 blocks and five steals as Manchester CC (13-2) came back from a 19 point half-time deficit to beat Southern Maine CC (7-6) 58-51 at the Great Path Academy gym Sunday afternoon.

“She was a strong inside presence,” MCC head coach Robert Turner, Jr. said of the 6’2” center who reached the 20 rebound plateau for the second time this season. “She had 10 blocks and 20 rebounds. A lot of those were put-backs and limited the other team to one shot, which is big. When you have an inside presence like that, it makes it difficult for the other team to score and they end up taking a lot of outside shots.”

MCC trailed 38-19 at the half but shutout SMCC over the final 10:47 with a 21-0 run. The Cougars outscored the Seawolves 39-13 in the second half.

Becky Creveling’s three-pointer gave Southern Maine a 51-37 lead at the 9:13 mark of the second half, then Sagay and company took control of the game.

“They played really tough,” Turner said of his team after its third consecutive non-Region 21 game. “Their hands were active, they were talking on defense and moving to the right spots. They did an excellent job.”
Kasiana Goodman (Waterbury) had 11 rebounds and eight points while Erika Murphy (Torrington) collected 11 rebounds. Callie Tambling (Manchester) had eight points and Sagay was seven for 10 from the free-throw line. Darley Webster led Southern Maine with 11 points.

“Kas is a very tough player inside,” Turner said of Goodman. “She rebounded well and down the stretch she made some really key buckets.”

MCC hosts Bristol CC Tuesday (Jan 19) at 7 pm at the Great Path Academy gym.