By Rob Potter
LOCH SHELDRAKE — At halftime of Wednesday night’s National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III Region XV basketball game, the host SUNY Sullivan Lady Generals honored their six sophomore players.
Once the second half began, those sophomores returned to the court and made sure their final game at Paul Gerry Fieldhouse was a victorious one.
Three sophomores – Luna Jefferson, Erin Lane and Kunnuh Wisseh – scored in double digits to lead Sullivan to a 59-31 win. Jefferson recorded a double-double by scoring a game-high 24 points and grabbing 16 rebounds. Wisseh registered her first career triple-double with 13 points, 10 steals and 10 rebounds. Lane had 10 points.
“All of our sophomores have made great contributions to the program,” SUNY Sullivan Coach Sara Thompson Tweedy said. “The work they have done here at Sullivan will help them be successful in life.
“Erin Lane and Danielle Darby have outstanding futures in college track and field,” Thompson Tweedy added. “Luna Jefferson, Sonia Andrades and Kunnuh Wisseh could all play basketball at a four-year college. And Alyssa Corbett is a physical education major who is going on to a four-year school. She wants to be a teacher and I’m sure she will achieve that goal.”
Thompson Tweedy noted that the game was also her last home game as she recently received a permanent appointment to be the Dean of Student Development Services at SUNY Sullivan.
“Trying to do both that job and coaching the women’s basketball team would be too much,” she said. “Assistant Coach Ryan Meikle will be taking over as the head coach of the program. He is ready for the position and I think he will do a great job.”
Both SUNY Sullivan teams qualify for postseason play
The SUNY Sullivan Generals and Lady Generals will be playing in postseason tournaments.
On Friday and Saturday, the Lady Generals played in the Mid-Hudson Conference (MHC) Tournament at SUNY Orange in Middletown. In Friday’s semifinal round, Westchester Community College defeated the Lady Generals, 65-55.
Leading the SUNY Sullivan offense were Jefferson (22 points, nine assists), Andrades (13 points, nine rebounds) and Wisseh (12 points, seven rebounds).
In Saturday’s consolation game, SUNY Orange edged the Lady Generals, 43-42.
The Lady Generals are scheduled to compete in a play-in game tonight for the Region XV Tournament. Sixth-seeded SUNY Sullivan will play host Suffolk Community College in the game. The winner earns a spot in the Region XV Tournament, which will be held this weekend at Monroe College in New Rochelle.
Meanwhile, the SUNY Sullivan Generals are the No. 1 seed in the men’s Region XV Tournament. The Generals, who won last year’s tourney to advance to the NJCAA Division III National Tournament, will play No. 8 seed Dutchess Community College at 4 p.m. this Friday, March 2 at Monroe College.
The Generals, who are the MHC champions, ended their regular season on Saturday with a 110-98 non-league loss to Harcum College in Bryn Mawr, Pa.