Semoball

Redhawks begin rare five-game homestand

Southeast's Nolan Taylor makes a layup earlier in the season at the Show Me Center.
Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

Do you look at a glass of milk as half empty or half full?

If you are amongst the half-full contingent, then the thought of Southeast Missouri State returning to the Show Me Center for five straight games is encouraging.

The Redhawks are currently 4-10 but 2-3 at home. The next five games are pivotal for the Redhawks’ chances to secure their spot in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament for the first time since 2017.

This disparagement between home and road games for mid-major programs such as SEMO is not uncommon. Last year, the Redhawks went 6-7 at home and 1-1 in neutral sites. That alone sounds like a rather solid season by SEMO standard, but the overall record was 7-24 because the Redhawks lost all 16 road games.

SEMO has a 1-7 road record this year with four more games left in the season. That’s what makes the upcoming home stretch so pivotal. Unlike the previous years, each of the Redhawks’ losses outside of games against Morehead State and Belmont had been close.

How many of those games would go differently if it were here and not there?

The Redhawks dropped a close game at UT Martin on Tuesday that saw two teams go back and forth from the opening tip-off to the final buzzer.

The game came down to final minutes. Nolan Taylor entered the free throw line with the Redhawks down 67-66 with 11 seconds remaining in the second half. The senior missed both free throws.

Kenton Eskridge later made both of his free throws to put the Skyhawks up by three points. With three seconds left to play, Nana Akenten had a chance to tie the game at the buzzer with a three-pointer but missed.

“We just came out so flat,” SEMO head coach Brad Korn said. “We weren’t moving to start the game. We were so flat and lethargic. We got to get that corrected.”

Taylor returning to early season form is important to the Redhawks’ success. He has been hovering around slightly below and slightly above 10 points and 5 rebounds per game. He scored over 10 points in four of the first five games but has since turned in three double-digit scoring performances.

“I think at the beginning of the year, you’re dealing with zero film,” Korn said, “and then you’re really dealing with no film on him because he’s been out a year ago. So I think as teams start watching film, starts to have good games, you start to see what he can do on the block. People obviously scout and pay attention to that. It’s always a game of adjustments. Now you got to continue to do what you do but do it in a higher level. So that’s been the same thing with Nolan now that the film’s out.”

Taylor has yet to grab 10 rebounds in a game but that might not be much of an issue if guards like DQ Nicholas get involved. The sophomore point guard led the Redhawks with a season high nine rebounds against the Skyhawks on Tuesday.

“The big guys are always down there wrestling, fighting. I think too many times people just leave it up to big guys get all the rebounds. I think the more guards you have getting rebounds the better off we’ll be,” Korn said. “I think we did that in the second half. That’s why we were able to get in good positions.”

SEMO will need Eric Reed Jr. to find the basket from the key again. Normally the junior guard has been good for at least two three-pointers per game but missed all five shots at UT Martin.

“I thought his first three looks were good,” Korn said. “Those were shots he normally makes. It just didn’t happen to go in.”

Despite the record, SEMO is a glass half-full team. If the Redhawks are able to win at least half of their home games, they will surely see the OVC Tournament this spring.

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