Redhawks end season with 86-83 loss to last-place Gamecocks

~ The Southeast men dropped 14 of their last 15 games.

With little on the line, Southeast Missouri State and Jacksonville State played an entertaining men's basketball game Saturday night.

But the result was all too familiar for the Redhawks over the past two months.

Another loss.

JSU finished strong and beat the host Redhawks 86-83 in the final game of the season for both teams.

"We played good for about eight or nine games, then we would play a good half and a bad half," senior center Mike Rembert said. "We just couldn't get consistent."

The Redhawks won just one of their last 15 games, including only one of their last 14 Ohio Valley Conference contests.

Southeast ended with an overall eight-game losing streak, with seven of those defeats coming in league play.

So after a 6-0 OVC start and an 11-5 overall record at one point, the Redhawks limped to the finish line 12-19 overall and 7-13 in OVC play.

The Redhawks wound up ninth in the 11-team league. Only the top eight finishers make the OVC tournament.

"I don't know what to tell you," said swingman David Johnson, one of three Southeast seniors. "I really enjoyed being at SEMO, but this last year was kind of a heartbreaker."

Injuries and inconsistent performances plagued the Redhawks, who did not have senior forward Brandon Foust for the final 13 games of the season. Southeast went 1-12 in those contests.

Foust, Southeast's second-leading scorer and top rebounder, went down with a knee injury. Other players missed less time with various ailments.

"We started out young and got more youthful," Southeast coach Scott Edgar said.

Saturday's finale against JSU (7-22, 5-15), which finished last in the OVC, followed a pattern of many games during Southeast's slide.

The Redhawks would fall behind early and battle back only to come up short.

JSU scored the game's first seven points and built a 15-point lead in the opening period before Southeast pulled to within 42-36 at the break.

Southeast took several leads in the second half, including its biggest advantage of 74-69 after Johnson's 3-pointer with 6 minutes, 4 seconds remaining.

The Gamecocks went ahead 78-76 on freshman Nick Murphy's conventional three-point play with 3:03 left.

Southeast never caught back up, thanks partly to making just 1-of-5 free throws in the final 3 minutes, while JSU went 8-of-8 from the charity stripe in that stretch.

The Redhawks were only 14-of-26 from the line in the game (53.8 percent), compared to 21-of-27 for JSU (77.8 percent). Rembert missed seven of his 12 foul shots.

"We came out and we played hard," Rembert said. "Unfortunately, the free-throw line killed us. I know myself, I went 5-of-12. Sometimes the ball bounces your way, sometimes it doesn't."

Junior guard Kenard Moore, who was impressive with his long-range shooting over the second half of the season, led Southeast with 23 points.

Moore hit 5-of-11 from beyond the arc, but his 3-point attempt with 8 seconds left that would have tied the contest was just off.

Johnson, who struggled with nagging injuries much of the year, scored a season-high 17 points. He led the Redhawks with eight rebounds and four assists.

Rembert added 13 points and six rebounds.

"I feel good how David finished his career, and Mike was solid," Edgar said.

Murphy led five JSU players in double figures with 22 points. He also pulled down 11 rebounds during what is expected to be the final game in the JSU coaching tenure of Mike LaPlante.

Media reports in Alabama have suggested that LaPlante will not have his contract renewed after eight seasons with the Gamecocks.

Meanwhile, Edgar will turn his attention to his third season at Southeast as he attempts to get the Redhawks' program back on track.

Edgar said he's already looking forward to next year.

"I always do. I look forward to tomorrow," he said. "Probably by the time our fans read this, I'll be on the road recruiting."