RDC Kings win overtime thriller 99-96 over Rattlers

The Red Deer College Kings Basketball team knew that their road trip to face the Medicine Hat College Rattlers would be a challenge. The Kings showed a tremendous amount of heart, energy and defeated the Rattlers in an exciting 99-96 overtime game.

Early in the 1st half, Medicine Hat took a lead but RDC showed persistence to climb back into the game. At the half, the Rattlers only led by 3 points (49-46).

In a game that featured several swings in momentum, the Kings outscored the Rattlers 38-35 in the 2nd half. Both teams found themselves tied 84-84 after 4 quarters of play. RDC showed resiliency and outscored Medicine Hat College 15-12 in overtime to claim the 99-96 road victory against a competitive opponent.

Kings Head Coach Clayton Pottinger was very pleased with the energy this afternoon.

"One of the main things that we talked about pre-game was to focus on our energy," said Pottinger. "We discussed maintaining that positive outlook even when we faced adversity during the game."

In a game where momentum shifted it was important to stick to the plan.

"It was a back-and-forth game tonight and even yesterday," said Pottinger. "Neither team held a big lead, and both sides experienced the ebbs and flows throughout the game. I was very pleased that we stuck with the game plan that we drew up."

Ian Tevis was named the Kings player-of-the-game. The Kinesiology and Sport Studies student contributed 42 points, 1 steal, 2 assists and 7 rebounds.

With the victory, the RDC Kings maintain top spot in the ACAC Men's Basketball South Division with 18 points.

Next weekend, the Red Deer College Kings (9-4) host the Lethbridge College Kodiaks (8-2) in a pair of games. Friday, Jan. 27, the two teams compete at 8:00 p.m. at the RDC Main Gym. In an afternoon rematch on Saturday, the Kings face the Kodiaks at 3:00 p.m.