Late Shot Defeats Saluqis in Region Championship Game

The Southwest men's basketball team was defeated 72-70 by Walters State on March 7 in the championship game of the TCCAA/NJCAA Region VII tournament on a late shot that game officials determined came before the final buzzer. Gary Love led the Saluqis with 16 points. Brian Blackmon added 15 points and Cortez Wilder led the team with 12 rebounds. Blackmon, Wilder and Deveyon Hunter were named to the all-tournament team (photo below). The Saluqis ended the season with a 16-11 overall record.



In the semifinal game on March 6, Hunter scored 22 points to lead Southwest to a 98-83 win over Volunteer State. Wilder recorded a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds in the Saluqis' 100-91 quarterfinal win over Chattanooga State on March 4. The tournament was played at the Billy Webster Athletic Center on the campus of Columbia State Community College in Columbia, Tennessee.

Lady Saluqis Lose To Walters State In Region Semifinals

The Southwest women's basketball team lost to 18th-ranked Walters State 88-73 in the semifinals of the TCCAA/NJCAA Region VII tournament on March 6, ending its season with a 16-11 overall record. Cambriel Jeffries scored a season-high 20 points to lead the Lady Saluqis.

Krystal Riley (pictured at right) scored 18 points including the game-winning shot at the buzzer in the Lady Saluqis' 70-68 victory over Roane State in the quarterfinal game on March 5. Kiana James scored 15 points and grabbed 17 rebounds and Keturah Martin also scored 15 points for Southwest. The tournament was played at the Billy Webster Athletic Center on the campus of Columbia State Community College in Columbia, Tennessee.



Southwest Baseball Team Defeats Columbia State in Series Finale

Shawn Clarke's (pictured at left) two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning gave the Southwest baseball team a 2-1 win over Columbia State on March 6 in the final game of a three-game series at First Tennessee Fields. Cameron O'Dom was the winning pitcher, allowing just three hits and no earned runs in seven innings.

Columbia State defeated the Saluqis 2-1 on March 6 and 8-2 in the first game of the doubleheader on March 6. The game one loss spoiled an outstanding pitching performance by Justin Wright, who allowed only one earned run in seven innings of work. In addition to Clarke, who had three hits and drove in three runs in the series, other top hitters for the Saluqis were Brett Turner with four hits and Sean Mellinger with three hits.

The Southwest baseball team will host Roane State in a conference doubleheader at noon on March 13 at First Tennessee Fields.

Southwest Softball Team Sweeps Williams Baptist JV

The Southwest softball team improved to 5-7 on the season with a doubleheader sweep (3-0 and 3-2) of Williams Baptist JV on March 1 at the Buckhead Creek Recreation Complex. Chrissy Darnell (pictured at right) was the winning pitcher in both games, including a no-hitter in game one. Darnell struck out 12 batters and allowed just one earned run in the two games. Top hitters on the day for the Lady Saluqis were Lauren Alexander (3 hits, 3 runs batted in), Lauren Dreher (3 hits, 2 doubles), and Darnell (3 hits).