Knights Open Fast, Cruise against Shadow
Phoenix - Junior guard Garrison Phelps scored 17 of his team-high 22 points in the first half leading the Knights to a 33-point advantage at the halftime break and an eventual 78-46 win. Phelps scored on an array of buckets in the second quarter nailing two 3-point shots, one mid range jumper, two resounding fast break dunks and a couple of free throws en route to a 14 point quarter. The Knights outscored the Matadors 28-6 in the second. "We felt we needed to come out and play our brand of basketball," Phelps stated, "the last couple of games we have been playing more the pace of the opponents in both 'Slope and Brophy so it felt good to come out and be more like us." Phelps also added 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals for the Knights.
The Knights saw all 9 roster participants score a bucket. Keiren Brown is nursing a hamstring injury and did not play against the Matadors. Freshman guard Styles Phipps continued his impressive campaign scoring 13 points and dishing out 5 assists while junior Jeremiah Cherry recorded his second double-double in a row finishing with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
Overall the Knights forced Shadow into turnovers and tough shots, holding the Matadors to 26% shooting from the field, outrebounding the Matadors by 17 and forcing them into 16 turnovers. "We did a better job tonight of forcing them into turnovers and quick shots," said Jason Fontenet. Fontenet had 6 points, but dished out 7 assists to only 1 turnover and had 7 rebounds for the Knights.
An opening three point basket by Phelps in the third quarter opened the Knights biggest lead at 50-14. From there, the Knights controlled the game and never let the Matadors within 30. Junior forward Foune Doucoure finished the game with 9 points and 8 rebounds.
The Knights move on to their next game at Tempe High before returning back to the Saint Mary's campus for a rematch of last year's state semifinals against Peoria in the Knights' second and final game of the Hoophall West showcase. The Tempe game will be at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Peoria will be at 7 p.m. on Thursday. Both games will be live on YouTube with the call from Chris Fahrendorf and Alex Coil. Friday's game against Thunderbird has been cancelled due to a COVID issue in the Thunderbird program.
Next Up:
Tuesday, February 2, @ Tempe High School, game live on YouTube: https://youtu.be/oo8ORo9UwB8
Thursday, February 4, home vs. Peoria High School, game live on YouTube: https://youtu.be/T6ECaMgykn4
