Sunnyslope Opens Early Lead, Hangs on to Defeat the Knights

Phoenix - In what had promises of being of one to top games of this early season turned out to be a little bit of a disappointment for Saint Mary's as the Sunnyslope Vikings, led by senior guard Oakland Fort's 22 points, built an early lead and hung on to beat the Knights 59-51 at Saint Mary's.

The Knights did not start very quickly and did not match the shooting touch of the Vikings from the beginning. The Knights struggled making just 3 of their 15 shot attempts in the first quarter en route to a 16-7 deficit. "I thought we came out flat and didn't have the same pizazz that we showed the night before against Thunderbird," said junior guard Garrison Phelps.

Meanwhile, the Vikings got hot early and continued the torrid pace throughout the second quarter. The Vikings had three individuals who did most of the scoring in Fort, Grady Lewis and Elijah Saunders. Fort finished the first half 15 points, Lewis and Saunders each having 9 points to help the Vikings build a 34-20 halftime lead. The Knights were led by senior guard Keiren Brown who had 7 points, but was hobbled most of the night with a hamstring pull he suffered a week ago prior to the season beginning. 

The Knights opened the second half showing some fight and toughness. Three consecutive steals and conversion to buckets started the Knights in a promising direction. The 6-0 run in 30 seconds pulled the Knights back to within striking distance at 34-26 forcing the Vikings to call an early timeout. 

Both teams continued to move back and forth into the final stages of the game. The Knights made a run in the third and fourth quarters that saw the Vikings lead cut to 3 on three occassions, the last being with 1:35 to go. Forced to foul, Sunnyslope made 8 of 10 free throws down the stretch to close out the 59-51 victory.

Phelps led the Knights with 14 points and freshman guard Styles Phipps added 12, but both performances were kept in check by the dismal shooting of the entire team. For the game the Knights shot just 35% from the field and made only 8 of 15 free throws, 53%.

The Knights hit the road for the next two weeks opening their road stand Tuesday, January 26th at Greenway, before a date with the Brophy Broncos on Wednesday, January 27th as part of the Hoophall West event. Saint Mary's will close the week with a fierce fight with the Matadors of Shadow Mountain on Friday, January 29th. For more information or to watch the game, please find and subscribe to the Knights on YouTube @WeAreSMhoops.