New Rochelle, NY - Cape Fear men's basketball split a pair of games over the weekend in the Monroe College Invitational, falling to Monroe College 73-62 on Friday before defeating Baltimore City Community College 92-82 on Saturday.
The Sea Devils got off to a slow start against Monroe, falling behind early. They managed to tie the game at 18-18 with three and a half minutes remaining in the first half, but Monroe would end the half on a 10-2 run to take a 28-20 lead into halftime.
The second half was full of scoring, with each time scoring over 40 points in the half. Monroe built a solid double digit lead and held it for much of the half. Cape Fear cut the deficit to five with just over four minutes remaining, but Monroe slowly pulled away for an 11 point victory.
Donte Tatum was the only Sea Devil to score to in double figures, finishing with 15. Monroe's Zion Styles lead all scorers with 17.
Head coach Ryan Mantlo praised Monroe's game plan, acknowledging that his team had trouble playing with consistency during the game.
"We really struggled to find our rhythm tonight," said Coach Mantlo. "Credit them for executing a great game plan. We will get back to the drawing boards and come out ready to finish strong against a very good Baltimore City team tomorrow."
The Sea Devils would finish strong against Baltimore City, particularly in the second half. Down by six at halftime, Cape Fear outscored Baltimore 53-37 in the second half.
Tatum led the Sea Devils again, this time scoring 21. JJ Miles finished with 19, while Trayvon Ferrell had 17. Quate McKinzie added 15.
It was a big win for the Sea Devils, as coach Mantlo said afterwards.
"I felt like we turned a bit of a corner today," said Coach Mantlo. "Our secondary leadership took it personal and refused to have another let down. I'm excited to see how this propels us moving forward."
Following both games, the Sea Devils stand at 7-2 on the season.
They return home to face Richard Bland College on Wednesday, December 5th at 7:00 p.m. The game on Wednesday night will be held at Williston Middle School.
Courtesy of Nick Denning