By BY BRUCE HIXON
sports editor
It may not be quite to the point of desperation time for the Jefferson Davis Community College Warhawks basketball team, but they took another step in that direction Monday when they stumbled on their way to a 44-41 road loss to the L.B. Wallace Saints.
L.B. Wallace's victory moved the Saints (3-16 overall and 2-7 in the Alabama Community College Conference) one-half game ahead of the Warhawks (4-16 overall and 2-8 in the ACCC) for the eighth and final playoff spot in the south division.
JDCC will host L.B. Wallace March 1 in a game that may determine the final playoff position.
The Warahwks' best defensive point output of the season was offset by their worst offensive output of the season.
Despite its scoring woes, JDCC built a 27-19 halftime lead and widened it to a 10-point lead with only seven minutes left.
The Saints went on a decisive 11-point swing over the next two minutes to grab a one-point lead they never relinquished.
For the second straight game JDCC missed a potential-tying shot, this one a three-point attempt, at the buzzer that would have forced overtime.
At L.B. Wallace
JDCC 27 14 - 41
LB Wallace 19 25 - 44
JDCC (2FG-3FG-FT-TP) Smith 5-1-2-15; Edmonson 3-0-2-8; Johnson 4-0-0-8; Griffin 2-1-0-7; Rodgers 1-0-0-2; Nelson 0-0-1-1 (Totals: 15-2-5-41)
LB WALLACE (2FG-3FG-FT-TP) Collazo 1-0-7-9; Wilson 2-0-5-9; Dunham 4-0-0-8; Griffin 4-0-0-8; Jones 1-1-0-5; Crenshaw 1-0-1-3; Castell 1-0-0-2 (Totals: 14-1-13-44)
Southern Union edges JDCC
The Warhawks missed a potential game-winning three-pointer and two potential-tying shots in the final 15 shots in Saturday's 62-60 home loss to the Southern Union Bison.
JDCC never led and trailed by as many as 14 points, but worked its way back in the final seven minutes for a chance to tie or win.
The Bison (5-4 in the ACCC and 10-10 overall) took a 59-47 lead on Larry Swain's field goal with 7:51 left, but buckets by Donald Smith and DaWaun Johnson followed by a three-pointer by Quintereal Kelley narrowed the gap to just 59-54.
Southern Union stretched its lead to 61-54 on a basket by Bobby Norton with 3:44 left, but the Warhawks trimmed that gap all the way down to 61-60 over the next three minutes on field goals by Johnson and Thomas Tunberg followed by two free throws by Johnson.
Jo Ray King hit one of two free throw attempts for the Bison with 30 seconds left that made it a two-point lead of 62-60.
Smith tried to give the Warhawks a lead when he fired up an unsuccessful three-point attempt with 15 seconds left. JDCC got another chance when the ball hit a Southern Union player on its way out of bounds.
That opportunity also came up short when Smith found an opening on his way to the basket only to have his layup roll around the rim and fall off.
Lyndon Butler gave the Warhawks yet another chance when he grabbed the offensive rebound. After JDCC called a timeout with 4.1 seconds left, the Warhawks last attempt also came up short when Smith missed an off-balance baseline jumper from about 15 feet away.
At JDCC
Southern Union 38 24 - 62
JDCC 34 26 - 60
SOUTHERN UNION (2FG-3FG-FT-TP) Zinder 1-4-0-14; Swain 1-3-0-11; Early 2-2-0-10; Norton 4-0-1-9; Dudley 4-0-0-8; Ruffin 2-0-0-4; Beavers 0-1-0-3; King 1-0-1-3 (Totals: 15-2-2-62)
JDCC (2FG-3FG-FT-TP) Johnson 5-0-3-13; Smith 3-1-2-11; Kelley 0-3-0-9; Edmonson 4-0-1-9; Rodgers 2-1-0-7; Tunberg 3-0-0-6; Griffin 0-1-0-3 (Totals: 17-6-8-60)