Klassen and Kings have great bounce back performance at RDC

Brent Forster - RDC

The RDC Kings weren't happy with their performance Thursday in Olds, and they responded quite well Saturday evening on their home court. The Kings had a consistent effort over four quarters and defeated the Broncos 98-76. 

The Kings' offence exploded in the first half with 50 points. The Broncos scored 30. Spencer Klassen and Daniel Powell contributed 13 points each in the half for the Kings. Samuel Willis III picked up 11 points for the Broncos. RDC hit 51.2% of their shots from the field while Olds College connected on 30%.

The RDC Kings kept their foot on the gas and added another 48 points in the second half. Olds College responded with 46 and the Kings earned a 98-76 home victory. The Kings outscored the Broncos in the first three quarters and were on even terms in the fourth. Daniel Powell had 17 points, 1 assist and 7 rebounds in the second half. Dyson Surmik picked up 9 points, 4 rebounds and 1 steal for Olds in the latter half. The Kings were dominant on the boards and outrebounded the Broncos 69-37.

Daniel Powell was strong once again. The forward from Phoenix, Arizona totaled 30 points, 21 rebounds and 4 assists in the win. Dshawn Tyrell had 14 points. Omon Edobar chipped in with 13 and Cody White scored 12 points. 

Spencer Klassen was named the player-of-the-game for the RDC Kings. The third-year Bachelor of Education student from Red Deer stacked up 22 points, 2 steals, 4 assists and 8 rebounds. 

Kings Basketball Head Coach Clayton Pottinger was impressed with Klassen's game Saturday, and also appreciated his dedication to preparing for the rematch. "Spencer showed a lot of resiliency and toughness. After the loss on Thursday, I had a class Friday morning at 8:00 a.m. and Spencer was already in the gym shooting," said Pottinger. "Spencer was upset with his performance and wanted to come out and do a better job. He was on fire in the first half."

Sam Willis III earned the honour for the Olds College Broncos. Willis finished with 15 points, 2 steals, 3 assists and 9 rebounds. 

Pottinger made a few changes and the Kings responded with an impressive win. "The guys were embarrassed from Thursday's performance, and we got on the court yesterday and made a few adjustments. They came to play tonight," said Pottinger. "We did a better job defending for the most part. Olds did a great job shooting the ball in their own gym and we didn't do a good job of contesting shots. We did a better job contesting those shots tonight and we were able to keep their percentages down."

Over four quarters, the Broncos shot 37.2% from the field and only 20.8% from behind the three-point arc. RDC connected on 50.7% of their shots from the field and 41.7% of their three-point attempts.

The third place RDC Kings (8-5) will host the second place Medicine Hat College Rattlers (11-3) in a pair of games next weekend. The two teams will face each other Friday, February 2 at 8:00 p.m. in the RDC Main Gym. On Saturday, the Kings will entertain the Rattlers at 3:00 p.m.

Saturday was also the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Make Some Noise Campaign for mental health, which was recognized at the basketball games. Representatives from the sponsor, RBC, and the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Central Alberta were present to speak and help with give aways in the RDC Main Gym.