Six Lee players All-SSAC choices

ROME, Ga. — Lee University’s Tommy Brown, a Chattanooga native, was voted Southern States Athletic Conference men’s basketball coach of the year for the third time in five years, and three of his players — senior Josh Nofflet and juniors Jerel Blocker and Stephen McClellan — made the All-SSAC team.

The Flames’ Brice Sharp made the all-freshman team.

Meanwhile, senior post player Katie Nelson from the top-seeded Lady Flames was the women’s player of the year, joined on the All-SSAC squad by senior point guard Allison Rader and junior guard Brooke McKinnon. Nelson, from Scottsboro, Ala., took averages of 18 points and 8.3 rebounds a game into Lee’s tournament opener Thursday.

Rader and Caleb Skogen were Lee’s representatives on the SSAC Champions of Character team.

The Lady Flames, ranked 10th in NAIA Division I, pulled out a 65-63 win over Brewton-Parker with McKinnon matching her season average with 17 points and adding seven rebounds. The Flames beat Brewton-Parker 66-44 at The Forum with Teddrick Hardy scoring 13 points.

Brewton-Parker (11-20) scored the first seven points and led 24-10 in the women’s game, but Kally Eldridge’s 3-of-5 shooting from 3-point distance — while her teammates were going 1-for-13 — helped the Lady Flames (27-4) climb back into the game. One of Eldridge’s 3s tied the score with 14:39 to go, and Kayla Carlisle gave Lee the lead a minute later.

Eldridge, Nelson and Rader scored 13, 12 and 10 points for Lee, and Carlisle had seven points and six rebounds in her return from an illness that cost her seven games. Ashauntae Bussey had 14 points but missed a 3 in the final seconds for the Lady Barons.

“We escaped tonight. That’s about all you can say,” Lee coach Marty Rowe said. “That’s the name of tournament basketball — survive and advance. ... Kally was huge for us tonight.”

The Lady Flames meet Auburn-Montgomery (15-14) in a 6 p.m. semifinal today at The Forum.

Nelson needs only one point to become the second Lady Flame to reach 2,000 points for her career, behind Vicki Clemmons’ 2,271. McKinnon has 1,568 — seventh all-time in the program — with a year to go, and Rader is fourth in Lady Flames history in assists.

Brown’s team used balance in winning for the 12th time in a row and for the 21st time in 23 games. Blocker had 10 points and six rebounds, Larriques Cunningham scored nine points and senior defensive and rebounding specialist Chad James and 13 rebounds for the 12th-ranked Flames (25-6). Andrew Eikas had 14 points to lead the Barons.

Blocker is averaging 16-plus points a game, while Nofflet is averaging 13 and McClellan is a dangerous 3-point gunner.

Both Lee teams are assured of spots in the NAIA Divison I national tournaments.

Tigers, Cougars out

COLUMBIA, Tenn. — Chattanooga State and Cleveland State exited the TCCAA/NJCAA Region VII men’s tournament by losing 100-91 to Southwest Tennessee and 68-54 to host Columbia State, respectively, in Thursday quarterfinals.

Cortez Wilder had 19 points and 10 rebounds and Brian Blackmon had 18 points and four assists in leading five players with 14 or more points for Southwest’s Saluqis.

Alex Wells and P.J. Meyers had 22 and 21 points with three and five steals for Chattanooga State, and Alex Dean added 13 points. Roy McFadgon and Philip Jurick had 10 rebounds each with 11 points for McFadgon and five blocked shots for Jurick. Meyers had five assists.

Cleveland State’s Cougars ended their late-season hot streak despite 20 points by Devin Boyd and 15 and 10 from Willie Smith and Jesse Taylor. Boyd and Tony Bates had seven rebounds each and Stephen Cook made four assists in defeat.

Oneal Braden scored 19 points with 12-of-12 free-throw shooting and Brandon Allen had 10 rebounds for Columbia State. The Chargers (21-4) made 22 of 28 free throws compared to 12 of 21 for the Cougars (13-15).

Earlier, Volunteer State upset Motlow State, 81-76, as Jay Starks scored 33 points, Jermel Kennedy had 17 points and 13 rebounds and Creshaun Holt had 15 rebounds and six blocked shots. Mark Mason and Darius Whitson scored 15 points apiece and Darryn Frazier added 13 for Motlow.

The Cleveland State and Chattanooga State women play each other in tournament quarterfinals at 5 p.m. EST today.