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College Park, GA – The Westchester Knicks defeated the College Park Skyhawks in a high scoring affair by the score of 138-123. The Knicks never trailed. They dictated tempo for the majority of the game. The Knicks had seven players reach double figure scoring led by Kevin McCullar Jr. with 20 points, achieving his first professional triple double with 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
In the first quarter, Westchester came out red hot from 3. They made six of their first seven attempts from three, including Johnny Davis making a tough contested three in the right corner late in the shot clock. The Westchester Knicks shot 9-of-14 from three in the first quarter. On the other side, College Park went only 3-of-11 from three. The Skyhawks started Joey Hauser at center to help spread the floor and take Moses Brown away from the paint. Unfortunately for the Skyhawks, Hauser struggled by missing all four of his three-point attempts.
In the second quarter, the red-hot shooting continued for the Knicks. The team went 4-of-5 from three to start off the second quarter. The efficiency was great because McCullar did well with dribble penetration, collapsing the defense and kicking out to three-point shooters. McCullar had eight of his 10 assists in the first half. The Knicks extended their lead as high as 21 points by the middle of the second quarter. The Skyhawks made a run towards the end of the half led by Daequon Plowden who had a career high of 27 points. The Skyhawks cut the deficit down to 12 heading into halftime.
The Skyhawks continued their momentum in the start of the third quarter. Now they began to make their threes while Westchester was going through a cold stretch from 3. With Moses Brown at center, College Park made it a point of emphasis to push the ball every time down the court off of a missed shot because Brown is slow getting back on defense. College Park had a season high 30 fast break points. They cut the lead down to two points but were never able to take the lead.
The Westchester Knicks were able to maintain their lead in the fourth quarter because they dominated College Park on the offensive glass. They had 21 offensive rebounds which led to 22 second chance points. The downfall of starting small in which the Skyhawks did by starting Hauser at center is that you are vulnerable to offensive rebounds by the opposing team. The Knicks also won the free throw battle by 11. The Skyhawks players and coaches were frustrated throughout the game because they felt like the whistle was one-sided. The lack of calls seemed to affect their play, especially on the defensive side of the floor.
With the win, the Knicks improved their record to 18-12 as they prepare for a playoff run. With the loss, the Skyhawks dropped to 15-14 looking outside of the playoff race with six games left. These two teams play again at the Gateway Center Arena in College Park this Friday.
This article was written by Daeshaun Brathwaite, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.
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