Kings battle hard but can't complete rally over Trojans

Brent Forster - RDC

Red Deer, AB – The Red Deer College Kings played a strong game and made a push at the end, but couldn't down the SAIT Trojans. Despite the Kings scoring 31 points in the final ten minutes, the Trojans held on to earn a 99-93 road decision.

The Trojans grabbed a nine point advantage (30-21) by the end of the first quarter, but the Kings reduced the gap in the second. RDC knocked down 24 points and SAIT scored 19.

At the half, the SAIT Trojans held a four point edge (49-45).

Toronto's Tyronn King powered the home team with 18 points. SAIT's Calvin Chambers had 16.

King (13)

RDC shot 55.9 per cent from field. SAIT responded with a 46.2 per cent success rate.

"I thought it was very similar to last night's game. It was a tale of quarters. They were shooting the lights out in the first quarter tonight," said Kings Head Coach Darren Graham. "Then we kind of came back in the second quarter. The guys pushed really hard and played some defence, which was really enjoyable to watch. Then we were converting the defensive stops into transition baskets going the other way."

The third and fourth quarters were nearly an identical reversal. The Trojans outscored the Kings 33-17 in the third. Then the Kings knocked down 31 points in the fourth. SAIT scored 17 and picked up a 99-93 win.

"The third quarter, another lull, but the fourth quarter we pushed back and it was just a two point game in the second half," stated Graham. "I was proud of the guys for the push back, the fight, but ultimately we came up a little bit short."

Spencer Klassen was recognized as the Collegiate Sports Medicine Kings Player-of-the-Game. The fifth-year guard totaled 26 points, four assists, two rebounds, one steal and one block. 

"Spencer was being really aggressive with his shot and it was falling," said Graham. "He is really evolving even in his fifth-year to come up with the best shot possible rather than settling."

Harper (4) and Klassen (21)

Tyronn King finished with 26 points, ten rebounds, six assists, and one steal. The Legal Assistant student hit a pair of three-pointers. Kevin Szymanek had 22 points and 10 boards over 32 minutes. He had the tough task of going head-to-head against SAIT's Taliik Ross, a seven-foot forward.

"Ty did a fantastic job getting to the rim and Kevin has really shown consistency lately. He's been a solid contributor – 22 points tonight," stated Graham. "That's big. You could see their big number nine in the middle so Kevin had a tough matchup, but he rose to the occasion. I was proud of him."

Taliik Ross earned the top player award for the Trojans. Ross, who is from Florida, contributed 12 points, eight rebounds, three blocks, two steals and one assist.

The home team held a shooting edge from the field (46.9-44.3%).

SAIT had seven more boards (48-41) over 40 minutes.

The fifth place Kings have an upcoming bye week. On Friday, Feb. 21, the RDC Kings (8-9) will compete against the Ambrose University Lions (9-7) in Calgary at 8:00 pm.

"We will stay in routine. We will work hard to prepare for Ambrose and St. Mary's," said Graham. "The three of us are in a dog fight of four teams for two positions, so we have to prepare for those games and make sure we are competitive and get some W's in those games."

Harper (4) and Szymanek (11)