Knights fire on all cylinders, beat conference foe Williamson Trade

By Bret Saveleski
Knightly News Co-President
bret.saveleski@mymail.centralpenn.edu
The Central Penn College Knights men’s basketball team conquered the Williamson Trade Mechanics Tuesday night by a score of 75-61 in an Eastern States Athetlic Conference (ESAC) contest at East Pennsboro Middle School.
Central Penn had many positive takeaways from the victory, as the team moved the ball exceptionally well, finishing with 21 assists compared to only five from the Mechanics.
The Knights got off to a fast start in the contest. Anthony McClinton started the scoring for the Knights with a fast-break layup resulting from a Khalil Dukes steal. McClinton then followed this with another bucket, setting the tone for Central Penn in the early going. After three minutes of play, the team was ahead by six after a Riley Young layup, 9-3.
This would be the largest lead either team would have during the first half, as Williamson Trade forward A’Jaad White quickly answered with a putback to cut the lead, and the Mechanics would continue trading blows with the Knights for the remainder of the first 20 minutes.
A key basket in the first half came from Central Penn forward Tyray Cooper. With about nine minutes left in the first half, Cooper buried a 3-point shot to give the Knights a six-point cushion and solid momentum.
Williamson Trade had their largest lead of the game with five minutes to go in the half after a Ronald Johnson layup. The Knights struggled to keep Johnson in check, as he led all scorers with 18 points before halftime.
Going into the locker room, the Knights were able to equal the score at 38 with a dynamic Dukes’ 3-point play with nine seconds left.


Photo by Elijah Tinson


Photo by Elijah Tinson

Photo by Elijah Tinson

The Knights came out in a frenzy in the second half. They went on a 19-4 run due to a balanced attack from all starters during the first five minutes of the period.
The key to this second half run was Darius Wallace, hitting two massive 3-pointers that really turned the tide for the Knights. Dahsan King also played well on both sides of the ball, adding nine points in the second half alone.
Refusing to go out without a fight, Williamson Trade went on a run of their own for the next 10 minutes, cutting the lead to as little as three with five minutes left. While Johnson did contribute to this run, he also went 4-of-16 from the floor in the second half.
However, that would be as close as the Mechanics would come to victory. Wallace and King sunk a 3-pointer a piece, and the lead would only grow from there as the Knights went on a final 12-4 run to close out the contest, capped off by a Riley Young layup with a minute left.
McClinton, Central Penn’s reigning “Player of the Week,” once again proved to be a major contributor for the squad. He has named the Weis Knightly News Co-Player of the Game with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Dukes was also the Weis Knightly News Co-Player of the Game with 17 points and nine rebounds. Darius Wallace added 12 points.
For Williamson Trade, Johnson lit up the box score for the Mechanics, finishing with a game-high 27 points and eight rebounds. White tallied 11 points and 14 rebounds.
With the win, the Knights improved to 5-13 on the season. They hope to carry this momentum into their next contest against rival Christendom next Wednesday at East Penn Middle School. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m.