Kings win a thrilling 77-76 game in Lethbridge
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Red Deer College (7-1, 7-1) | 18 | 10 | 19 | 30 | 77 |
|
Lethbridge College (5-1, 5-1) | 13 | 19 | 17 | 27 | 76 |
Saturday in Lethbridge, the Red Deer College Kings Basketball team (7-1) faced the Lethbridge College Kodiaks (5-1) in a battle between two of the top teams in the ACAC Men's Basketball South Division. The game was back and forth with several swings in momentum but in dramatic fashion the Kings pulled out a 77-76 road victory.
After the first quarter, the Kings led the Kodiaks 18-13 and featured a strong performance by Matt Matear who scored 10 points and added 4 rebounds. Scoring 19 points in the second quarter Lethbridge College took a 32-28 lead at half. Shayne Stumpf added 6 points and 3 rebounds in the second.
In the third quarter the Kings outscored the Kodiaks 19-17 but trailed 49-47. Ian Tevis led the RDC Kings with 7 points, 1 steal and 1 rebound in the quarter.
With time winding down in the fourth quarter, the Kings trailed 76-70. Ian Tevis was fouled and sank both of his free throws to narrow the lead 76-72. Play continued, and the Kings stole the ball in their own zone. Eventually Tevis connected on a three pointer to push RDC within a point (76-75). With possession, the Kodiaks were in the Kings zone but RDC stole the ball once again to push the play down the court and with seconds left on the clock the Kings sealed the 77-76 victory.
Tevis finished with a team high 20 points. The Kinesiology and Sport Studies student added 2 steals, 2 assists and 4 rebounds. For the Kings, Kai Greene totalled 10 points, Matear had 15, Stumpf added 16 and Khurram Sultan contributed 7 points.
Kings Head Coach Clayton Pottinger was impressed with his team's ability to push back Saturday.
"I was very pleased with our rally in the second half," said Pottinger. "We didn't play well in the second quarter but the guys pushed back, played really hard and had that rally mentality when we trailed."
With the victory, the RDC Kings push their impressive record to 8-1 and remain in first place in the ACAC Men's Basketball South Division. The student-athletes and coaching staff will have some time to recharge the batteries and will get going again in 2017. In Calgary, the Red Deer College Kings will face the SAIT Trojans in the ACAC regular season Jan. 13 at 8:00 p.m.