Knights win a battle against Cheyney, Ross drops career high on Senior Day

By Andrew Hunter

Knightly News Sports Reporter

andrew.hunter@mymail.centralpenn.edu

The Central Penn College Knights basketball team was victorious against the Cheyney University Wolves in their season finale at East Pennsboro Area High School, winning by a score of 96-72.

Before the game, the Central Penn College athletic department honored three senior Knights, guard Zaheim Lewis, guard Rodney Ross and 1,000-point scorer forward Quadere Allen.

The Knights started the scoring off with a rim-rocking dunk by Allen. Then, just minutes later, forward Jordan Strickland threw down an emphatic dunk over the Cheyney defender and got the crowd on their feet.

The Knights controlled the game’s tempo, allowing them to dominate throughout. They were clicking on the offensive and defensive ends of the court by forcing turnovers and running their offense to near perfection.

The Knights would get their lead to as large as nine points, though Cheyney University managed to make a run during the first half to get the lead down to three points. But Ross came to play, leading the Knights with 18 first-half points to extend the lead.

After Ross’s response, the Knights never looked back. Ross would continue to knock down an incredible amount of shots. Allen also gave a beautiful pass to Strickland for another highlight-reel dunk to get the crowd back into the game. It felt like a dunk content with all the dunks Strickland put down during the game.

The Knights continued to bring all the intensity they had left into the game, going into the half leading 42-28.

The Knights ‘ first play was beautiful after coming out of the locker room. Multiple swing passes were around the perimeter to find Ross and his hot hand for a wide-open 3-pointer. The Knights did have lapses on consecutive possessions on the defensive end early on in the second half, allowing two 3-pointers to enable Cheyney to get within single digits.

Whenever you thought Cheyney would get back into the game, you thought again, thanks to Ross. He responded time and time again when Cheyney made a bucket.

With 10 minutes left in the game, the Knights got their lead to 18, which was then cut to 11 by Cheyney. Both teams kept trading buckets, and the Knights let Cheyney hang around.

When Ross returned to the game with 3:16 remaining, the Knights were trying to get him the coveted 40 points. After a layup, Ross got his 40 points on Senior Day, giving the Knights a 19-point lead in the final minute.

One more senior needed some spotlight, as Lewis knocked a 3-pointer at the top of the key to get a cheer from everybody in the gym and provide a memorable moment in his final home game.

The Knights would hold on to their lead and win the season’s final game in decisive fashion, 96-72.

Ross was The Knightly News Player of the Game, with an astonishing 43 points to go along with 7 rebounds and 3 steals. Another key player for the Knights was Strickland, who had 24 points and 12 rebounds. Riley Young added 11 points and 9 rebounds.

The scoring for Cheyney University was led by Randolph Charles, who scored 18 points and 9 rebounds in the losing effort. Jose Rivera-Scott chipped in 12 points and 14 rebounds.

The Knights finished the season with a record of 9-18, which included a six-game winning streak in the second half. While the Knights’ season concluded on Saturday, fans of the team will remember the impact of the three departing seniors.