The Niagara Knights men's basketball program (10-3, 3rd OCAA West) took on the St. Clair Saints at home during a snowy Sunday afternoon this past weekend. Looking to hand the Saints their fourth straight loss and take revenge from a 108-101 loss on November 17th, the Knights came out of the gate flying. After scoring 28 points in the first quarter led by Van Hutchinson Jr (Bahamas) who had 12 points, the Knights followed that up by scoring 30 in the second quarter. The Saints stayed in it thanks to a 22 points second quarter, but the Knights had a 58-40 lead at the half.
Niagara didn't look like the same team in the third quarter as they got outscored 32-15 to allow the Saints to come all the way back and make it a one-point game heading into the game's final quarter. Jordon McDonald (Mississauga) had an outstanding fourth quarter, scoring nine points and grabbing seven rebounds to help prevent St. Clair from playing spoiler. The Knights would finish strong and earn the 103-90 victory, their third straight win, and their revenge against the Saints.
Head coach Phil Mosley was happy with his team's performance but says they still have some stuff to work on.
"We played well in spurts but need to be more consistent through four quarters," said Mosley. "A different guy is stepping up each game and we feel that will pay off for us heading into the final stage of the season."
Hutchinson Jr led the Knights with 32 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists. He was one assist shy of recording his third triple-double of the season.
McDonald had his best game so far this season as the fourth year forward finished with 21 points and 15 rebounds. He was efficient while on the floor, shooting 66.7% (10-15) from the field.
Governor Simcoe Secondary product Rahim Bardi (St. Catharines) also had his best game of the season as the rookie scored 19 points in 20 minutes of action.
Alex Elliott (Welland) scored 14 points while Keveshan Padachey (Markham) had 12 points thanks to an impressive performance from long-range where he shot 66.7% (4-6).
The Knights continue their OCAA regular season schedule when they take on the Mohawk Mountaineers (5-6, 7th OCAA West) at home on Friday, January 25th at 8pm.
