From staff reports

HARTSVILLE, S.C. —

Catawba big man Jeremy McLaughlin scored the decisive bucket with 14 seconds left and then blocked a 3-point shot to preserve a 79-77 South Atlantic Conference men’s basketball victory on Wednesday at Coker.

Catawba (10-13, 6-11) swept Coker and extended a late-surge. Catawba’s goal is a top-eight finish to qualify for the conference tournament.

Catawba has won four in a row and five of its last six. The lone loss in that stretch was a tight road loss at Wingate.Catawba is tied for seventh now with Coker  (11-14, 8-9) and Newberry.

In a game that featured 14 ties and 16 lead changes, McLaughlin snapped the last tie with a layup with 14 seconds to play. The junior blocked a Coker three-point try from the corner with a second to go and Jerrin Morrison tipped away a lob attempt on the ensuing inbounds play to secure the victory.

Morrison finished with a game-high 22 points and added 10 rebounds.

McLaughlin and John McRae added a dozen points with Jordan Barber hitting for 10. Carter Phillips was 3-for-3 on 3-pointers.

Barber added six assists and three steals, while TJ Jeffers had five assists, including one on the game-winner by McLaughlin.

   Catawba shot 51 percent in the win, including 54 percent in the second half. Catawba got 44 points in the paint.

Catawba played again without Malik Constantine and has basically played the season without All-SAC guard Jameel Taylor.

  Catawba hosts Carson-Newman in its final home game of the year on Saturday at 4 p.m. Catawba will recognize the 1982-83 championship team at halftime.

CATAWBA (79) — Morrison 22, McLaughlin 12, McRae 12, Barber 10, Phillips 9, Jeffers 8, Robinson 4,  Johnson 2, Lentz, Childress, Giles.

COKER (77) — Halls 15, Barrett 15, Samuels 15, Green 10,  Mungro 8, Jackson 8, Cooper 4, Jennings 2.

Catawba   38    41    — 79

Coker         39   38    — 77

Catawba women 

HARTSVILLE, SC — Late free throws by Serena Brown lifted Catawba’s women’s basketball team to a wild, 63-60, South Atlantic Conference win at Coker on Wednesday.

Catawba trailed by as many as 17 points before mounting a comeback. The  Indians outscored Coker by 14 in the fourth quarter.

Catawba (13-11, 11-6) stayed tied for third place  with Anderson and was able to win on the road despite woeful 28-percent shooting.

Terri Rogers scored 16 points  and had seven rebounds. Brown added 13 points and Taisha DeShazo recorded 11 for Catawba. Shemya Stanback (A.L. Brown) added nine.

Coker (8-15, 5-12) was led by Janea Williams with 13 points.

Coker took control early and led by 11 points at halftime. The Cobras went up 17 in the third quarter.

Catawba did not quit fighting and began chipping away at lead in the fourth 10-minute period.

The Indians finally took the lead with 4:49 remaining on the clock.

  With three seconds   and Catawba leading 60-59, a Cobra foul and a double technical sent Brown to the free throw line for three shots. Sydney Shull shot the technical free throw shots for Coker and went 1-for-2. Brown hit all three of hers to finish the game.

Catawba will return to Goodman Gymnasium Saturday for a Senior Day game against Carson-Newman. Tipoff is at 2 p.m.

CATAWBA (63) — Rogers 16, Brown 12, DeShazo 11, Stanback 9,  Hallman 7, Butler 3, Barnes 3,  Newbold 1, Webb, Tucker,  Franklin, Hodges.

COKER (60) — Williams 13, Kropp 12, Jackson 10, Consindinie 7, Houser 6, Kincaid 5, Stull 4, Shull 3.

Catawba   12   7   15  29   — 63

Coker         18  12  15  15  — 60

Catawba baseball

SALISBURY — The Catawba Indians fell to visiting Belmont Abbey, 7-5, on Wednesday evening at Newman Park.

The Crusaders (7-2)  scored two in the top of the 11th inning. Catawba is 1-8 and has dropped two tight games with Belmont Abbey in the early going.

Colin Rosenbaum’s two-run double in the 11th, his fourth hit, was the key blow. Thomas Yoder and Nick Beinlich homered.

Catawba  got two hits each from Joe Butts, Kyle Smith, Lee Poteat (West Rowan)and Jacob Nester. Zach Queen drove in two runs.

Queen’s two-run double in the fourth tied the game at 3-all.

Doubles by Luke Setzer (East Rowan) and Chance Bowden (Salisbury) produced Catawba’s fourth run, and Butts drove in a run for a 5-all tie in the sixth.

That was all the scoring until  the Crusaders broke through in the 11th.

Hunter Shepherd (Homeschool Stallions) pitched  into the fifth inning. Riley Myers (Salisbury) took the loss in relief.

The Indians will return to Newman Park on Saturday at 2 p.m. to start a three-game series with Shippensburg.

Local golf

GARS members played  in their own foursomes at Lexington Golf Club.

Low ‘A’ Flight player was Larry Petrea with a net of 71.03.

Low ‘B’ Flight player was Tom Talbert with a net of 66.93.

Low ‘C’ Flight player was Mike Sides with a net of 71.74.

Low ‘D’ Flight player was Jim Brown with a net of 76.77.

Petrea had low gross with a 76 and Talbert had low net with a 66.93.

Sacred Heart hoops

Sacred Heart’s varsity teams finished up PECSAA conference play this past weekend.  Both teams finished third.

The varsity boys coached by BJ Spencer, won against St. Leo’s Catholic School, 58-41.

  Jalon Walker led the Dolphins with 21 points, 19 rebounds and 10 blocks.

Nick Antosek added 20 points,  and Ben Childress scored nine.

•••

Sacred Heart’s varsity girls, coached by Kelly Dulkoski,  defeated Immaculate Heart of Mary of High Point, 46-27.  Rachel McCullough led with 27 points, followed by Sutton Webb with 13.

The varsity teams will be competing this weekend in Charlotte at the Annual Shamrock Basketball Tournament.