With five bench players on the court in the second quarter, the Knights reeled off a 15-2 run that effectively put the game out of reach. Hudson Spradling, shown here making a steal in that quarter, ended up with nine points on three 3-pointers. Photo by Dave Winter.
Bench strength proves pivotal to sinking Vikings
Wade led Knights to much-needed win by each scoring 11 points; next up: LBJ
The versatile Wade brothers both scored 11 points in the game to lead the Knights in scoring. John Wade, left, made three 3-pointers and contributed mightily to a second-period run that put the Vikings in the rear-view mirror. Photos by Annabel Winter.
The Knights came out of the gate with a purpose tonight at Navarro, building an 8-0 lead before Navarro scored a point, but the host Vikings steadied from there, fighting back to within two points at 12-10 and again at 14-12 with 3:39 left in the second quarter.
With the game very much still in doubt, Coach Fuentes trusted his bench to get the job done, and they richly rewarded his trust with a 15-2 run that effectively put the game out of reach.
To start that torrid Knight stretch, Sam Holcomb scored an inside bucket to make it 16-12, then Jakob Broaders and John Wade nailed 3-pointers from the left baseline to make it 22-12. After Navarro’s Chauncey Droemer scored to cut the Knight lead to eight, Holcomb scored again from inside to extend the lead back to double digits. John Wade finished the second quarter with a 2-pointer and opened the third with a 3-pointer to give the Knights a comfortable 29-14 lead.
The Vikings never got closer than 10 points after that. The Wade brothers, John and Rob, led the Knights in scoring with 11 apiece, and Hudson Spradling chipped in nine. John Wade and Spradling each made three 3-point field goals.
The Knights face first place LBJ on the road on Tuesday night. The Jags defeated Lockhart, 66-44 tonight, to remain unbeaten in district play.