SMCC Men’s Hoops Rallies on Sophomore Night to Defeat Mesa CC

Down 10 points at halftime, the South Mountain Community College men's basketball team defeated Mesa Community College 95-94 Tuesday night. Sophomore Makael Rainbow scored a career-high 49 points and added five rebounds, five assists and seven steals as the Cougars knocked off the Thunderbirds in both teams' final Arizona Community Conference Athletic Conference regular-season game of the season.

The Cougars celebrated Sophomore Night with a thrilling victory. They outscored Mesa CC 53-42 over the final 20 minutes and shot a blistering 63.2 percent (36 of 57) from the field and 50 percent (11 of 22) from 3-point range.

Rainbow had a sensational performance in his final night in a Cougar uniform. He finished 18 of 25 from the field and 4 of 7 from downtown and also knocked down nine free throws. The five dimes were one shy of his season-best, and his seven steals easily set a new career benchmark.

Fellow sophomore Kareem Clark also enjoyed a sharp-shooting night, finishing with 14 points on 6 of 8 shooting. He connected on two 3-pointers and added five rebounds, three assists and a steal.

A third sophomore, Damian Black, totaled 13 points on 6 of 8 shooting. He added three rebounds and drained a 3-pointer in 25 minutes of action. Johnathan Hunter came off the bench to hit three 3-pointers and finish with nine points.

Cody Carmichael and Germain Remy also started for the Cougars in their final game for SMCC. Carmichael had three points, two assists and a rebound while Remy had two rebounds.

The Cougars finished the season with an 11-19 overall record and 7-15 in ACCAC play.