Knights set the tone early, can’t maintain momentum on Senior Night

By Bret Saveleski

Knightly News Reporter

bret.saveleski@mymail.centralpenn.edu

The Central Penn College Knights men’s basketball team fell to the Cheyney Wolves on Wednesday night at East Pennsboro Middle School by a score of 91-66.

Initially scheduled as the final home game of the season for the Knights, Wednesday night’s contest was Senior Night for Central Penn. Anthony McClinton, the lone senior on the team, was honored before the game. McClinton welcomed his family to the floor for a pre-game ceremony, as public address announcer Brian Christiana read a dedication written by the three-year Knight to people who had an inmpact on McClinton during his journey.

For Central Penn, they entered the contest on the heels of a high-scoring game against Penn State Lehigh Valley, where they ended up on the short end of a 104-101 overtime thriller. Still, with that momentum, the Knights seemed poised for a productive effort.

The Knights started strong, leading 14-3 after three minutes of play. McClinton came out of the gate on fire with six of the team’s first 14 points in his final home game. About five minutes into the game, McClinton capped his amazing run to the start the game with another layup, extending the Knights’ lead to 18-10 about five minutes in.

However, Cheyney would not be down for long, and they outscored the Knights 21-10 over the next 11 minutes, tying the game at 24 with just under seven minutes to go in the half. During this run, Joshua Blackmon hit several key shots, including a contested 3-pointer that found the net.

But McClinton was not done, draining back-to-back 3-point buckets to retake the lead for the Knights, 30-24. For Cheyney, D’Angelo Lake took over on the glass, converting on an offensive rebound and tip-in to shift the momentum. With about three minutes left, Blackmon hit another 3-pointer, giving Cheyney their first lead, 34-32. The teams traded blows over the next couple of minutes, with a Darius Wallace 3-pointer before the end of the half, giving the Knights a slim 39-38 lead at the break.

Cheyney came out looking like a different team after the second-half buzzer sounded. They drained shot after shot coming out of the locker room and went on a 12-0 run to put them ahead 50-39. Blackmon continued to be the catalyst for the Wolves, scoring two quick layups in the early minutes of the second while also grabbing several key offensive rebounds.

The Knights were determined to stay in this game, with McClinton having one of the better nights of his career in his final home game. About six minutes into the second half, McClinton hit a key layup, bringing the Knights back to within five, 54-49.

However, this is as close as the home team would come to victory in this contest, as Cheyney pulled away over the final 15 minutes. This charge was led by Lake, with 10 points in the second half alone, and Clyde Fraiser, who scored 10 points, including a momentum-shifting 3-pointer that extending the Wolves’ lead to double digits.

The downfall for the Knights in the game was the turnovers, committing 18, leading to 19 points off of turnovers for Cheyney. The Wolves also won the rebounding battle by 11, 47-36.

At the end of the contest, Cheyney pulled away, taking the 91-66 victory, spoiling Senior Night for Central Penn.

The Weis Knightly News Player of the Game was McClinton, who led all scorers with 21 points in the contest. Wallace also ended with an impressive showing for the Knights, putting up 17 points, including five three-pointers.

Lake proved to be too much for the Knights to handle in the paint. He scored 18 points to go along with 11 rebounds, including five on the offensive glass. Blackmon added 19 points.

The Knight have two games remaining this season. On Feb. 22, they will travel to Bucks County Community College for a tilt with their archrival. They will conclude the season on Feb. 27 for their final home contest, as they take on Christendom College at East Pennsboro Middle School in a 7 p.m. tip off.

Edited by Knightly News Media Club @ Central Penn College co-adviser and blog editor Professor Michael Lear-Olimpi.