November 3, 2023, WELLAND, ON.
By: Laura Guiot & Kaitlin Saxton
The Niagara Knights men's basketball team were hoping to make it three wins in a row on Friday night, however they came up short, falling 90-81 to the ever-so determined Lambton Lions.
Niagara had a slow start, trailing 34-22 after the first frame. The Knights managed to shake off the nerves, outscoring the Lions 22-8 in the second quarter, putting them up by two at the half.
A big 21-point performance from Raheem Dennis kept the Knights in contention. A lack of discipline from Dennis resulted in him fouling out, requiring other players to step up. Other major contributors were fourth year forward Kenneth Reckley Jr. and Ethan Alino-DelaCruz, a second-year guard. Reckley Jr. played 36 minutes, putting up 13 points combined with 3 assists and 8 rebounds. While Alino-DelaCruz had 14 points on the night, in addition to 5 assists and 5 rebounds.
The second half saw the Knights struggle to shoot the ball, averaging 31.7%, resulting in a season low shooting percentage thus far. After speaking with Coach Mosley, "the team is looking to take this upcoming week off to build up their confidence in this area, in order to get over that hump".
The Knights are currently sitting 2-2 on the season and are looking to get back into the win column Saturday, November 11, against Fanshawe in Falcon territory.
