'Wore them down': Southeast pushes past Springfield High at City Tournament

The Southeast boys basketball team took the lead for good in the third quarter Friday night at the City Tournament.

In the fourth quarter, the Spartans took control for a 62-49 victory over Springfield High at the Bank of Springfield Center.

Kam Banks and Seth Doss combined for 40 points and 24 rebounds as the Spartans won their City Tournament debut after sitting out on Thursday because of Lanphier’s COVID-19 postponement.

“I thought we came out locked in,” Southeast coach Lawrence Thomas said. “And then I thought that two of our starters got two fouls. And when we subbed it kind of gave them (SHS) a chance to get their groove. And next thing you know, it's nip and tuck throughout the first half.

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“Second half, we kind of were able to keep those kids out of foul trouble enough that we can keep them on the floor. And eventually I think we kind of wore them down.”

Down 30-27 after Mitchell Logan’s second-chance bucket in the middle of the third, Seth Doss scored seven of his 17 points as part of a 14-4 push to close out the third.

In the fourth quarter, Southeast was 9-for-12 at the free-throw line — where the Spartans struggled early in the season.

“Earlier in the year, we were leaving a lot of points on the floor from the free-throw line,” Thomas said. “And hopefully as the season goes on, things will even out. The kids were really trying to make those free throws. They stayed consistent in practice and tried to do the things that can make them.”

Double-doubles

With a combined 73 missed shots, there were plenty of rebound chances. Doss finished with a game-high 14 rebounds — six offensive — while Banks pulled down 10 — eight offensive — to go along with his game-best 23 points.

Springfield’s Brandenn Robinson finished with 14 points and 12 boards.

But it was defense, Banks said, that allowed the Spartans (15-7 overall, 7-3 Central State Eight Conference, 1-0 City) to flip the script.

“They were getting a lot of fast-break buckets out in transition,” Banks said of Springfield High. “We started making them play the half-court game a little bit.”

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Southeast turned Springfield over 20 times and outscored the Senators 17-2 off turnovers.

Springfield’s leading scorer, Logan, was held to 13 points on 5-for-14 shooting.

“Mitch got beat up all night,” Springfield coach Joby Crum said. “They were running one, two guys at him and he get around them and then you've got Southeast's post players (waiting). Mitch takes a beating every night.”

Getting inside

The teams combined to shoot 2-of-20 from behind the 3-point line. So the scoring had to come from the interior. Both teams scored 34 points apiece in the paint.

Southeast added 16 points at the free-throw line, while Springfield (11-12, 4-8, 0-2 City) made 11 free throws.

“They actually beat us where our strength is — inside,” Crum said. “And Kam and Seth had big nights, and that's our strength, in the post area with the big guys and Mitch (Logan), and they took advantage of that.

“You know, not many teams can say they've done that part to us.”

The only points Southeast got in the fourth quarter outside of the paint was a baseline jumper from Dominick Hobbs. That sparked a seven-point run.

“First of all, Joby had his kids coached up,” Thomas said. “And I mean, they were battling, they gave an outstanding effort. And eventually we met their energy, because the whole first half and even a little part of the third quarter, I think they controlled the tempo.

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“I think they had the tempo, the way they wanted it, at their pace, and we were just coming down, just walking the ball down every time and the points we were scoring were off of a set defense. We weren't transitioning the ball down the floor, like we like to do here. So, I thought that eventually, you know, we started getting that done. And next thing you know, we're getting a few layups and got them sped up a few times. And I think that was crucial.”

Banks said it felt great to get the Spartans back in the win column after a pair of losses last week at a tournament in Evansville, Indiana. Those losses on Saturday, Jan. 15 snapped an eight-game Southeast win streak.

“We knew what was coming, we just needed time,” Banks said of the team since Christmas break began. “We're all pretty seasoned. We got a lot of three-year varsity players and we are gelling together finally.”

Contact Ryan Mahan: 857-246-9756, ryan.mahan@sj-r.com, Twitter.com/RyanMahanSJR.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: City Tournament: Banks, Doss spark Southeast second-half run