The Niagara Knights men's basketball program (11-4, 4th OCAA West) earned a pair of victories over the visiting Sault Cougars this weekend. In the wins, Lequan Hylton (Mississauga) became the Niagara Knights all-time assists leader.
Entering the weekend doubleheader only eight assists away from surpassing former Knight Jimmy Bilenga's career total of 118, Hylton tallied six assists on Saturday and six more on Sunday to move into the top spot with 122 career assists. Teammate Marako Lundy (Nassau, Bahamas) climbed into second all-time on the assists list, scoring five assists through the two game set against the Sault Cougars (4-9, 7th OCAA West) to move to 119 career assists.
Alongside the personal accomplishments, the Knights earned a pair of hard fought victories over a tough team from Sault College. In the first game of the weekend doubleheader on Saturday evening, the Knights hung on for a 79-69 victory over a scrappy Sault team.
Despite carrying a 14 point lead into the second quarter, the Knights found themselves tied with the Cougars at 67 late in the contest. The Knights could score 12 of the game's final 14 points to earn the 10 point victory. Niagara had five players reach double digit points in the game, including 15 each from Marako Lundy and Femi Akindele (Welland). Alex Elliott (Welland) contributed 12 points, while Jordan McDonald (Mississauga) and Johann Jenkins (Delhi) added 10 points apiece.
It was a different story on Sunday for the Knights, who used a strong second half to propel themselves to an 87-63 win over the Cougars. After being down by two at the halftime break, Niagara stormed back in the second half for the victory. The tide turned when Alex Elliott (Welland) drained four consecutive buckets from beyond the three point arc to give the Knights a 12-point lead midway through the third quarter.
Similar to Saturday's game, Elliott was one of five Knights to reach double digits, finishing with 16 points. Delroy Grandison (Kingston, Jamaica) led the way with 17 points, Lundy had 15 to his credit while Lequan Hylton and Jordan McDonald (Mississauga) each added 10. McDonald and Grandison each recorded double-doubles with 16 and 15 rebounds respectively.
The Knights will now head to London on February 4th for a date with the Fanshawe Falcons (1-13, 10th OCAA West). They will then head West for a pair of games against the St. Clair Saints (5-7, 6th OCAA West) and Lambton Lions (8-4, 5th OCAA West). They will return to the Welland Campus Athletic Centre on February 19th for the season finale against the Humber Hawks.
