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Knights Basketball first five game winning streak since 2012-13 season

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On Sunday, Jan. 23, the NECC Knights tried to do something last achieved by the 2012-2013 team – win five straight games.

The Knights also was looking to pick up there first win against Bunker Hill Community College since Jan. 25, 2018.

The Knights defeated Bunker Hill 70 to 56 for a conference division game. The Knights were 5-2 on conference division game and 8-6 overall during the season heading into Sunday contest at noon.

The Knights if they want to win this game they need to control Angel Price Espada of Bunker Hill as he is averaging 36.5 points per game.

Stratton explained how they would incorporate a screen-and-roll technique which involves a teammate putting their body in front of the defender who is guarding the player who has the ball. This technique helps create easier opportunities to score.

“The plan heading to today’s game [is]  we going to start Cristian Kinsley on him. We feel he give us the best match up. Cristian is obviously our best defender that we have in the basketball team the coaching staff feels like. So we’re going to match with Cristian early. We going totally try to deny him the basketball trying to limit his touches and limit his clean looks at the basket what we will tried to do with him coming off of a screen and roll action, we are going blitz the screen and  roll action we will double him off the screen and roll. We’ll play 3 on 4 behind them hoping he gives up the basketball and then adjust off of that,” Stratton said.

This is a big test for Knights as CCRI it is similar to Bunker Hill a team that the Knights got blown out back on Dec 4 . This game this afternoon in my opinion it can be the turning point of the season for the Knights if they get this win.

“I think this game well be a test Nkrumah Jones (Bunker Hill head coach)  is been a veteran coach throughout this region similar to Rick Harris (CCRI head coach) two excellent coaches they been through the region they know what it takes to win in this region as far as CCRI and Bunker Hill goes I think CCRI has a little bit more depth then Bunker Hill but very comparable… so it is a good test for us to feel where we at in the region in this game…” Stratton said.

Stratton also mentioned to me that the four players that have academic issues can practice with the team but coach Stratton and his staff told those players practice with the team when they can to worried more about boosting this grade up. “They have to understand without the academics Basketball can only take you so far most of them the majority of them has been practicing when they can but with winter section ending next Friday we have a good feel what we got coming back for next year. I want to make a point of this to these four kids better not think that they just coming in to play they going to earn there way cause obviously this basketball team is playing very well without them…”Stratton said.

Just before tipoff they were issue with the shot clock a two minute delay. Knights win tip off against Bunker Hill. Knights had one travel in the first period and Bunker hill had two. Kinsley of Lawrence and Mehmet Asik of Ankara Turkey each receive two fouls while Phillip Cunningham of Haverhill receive one during the first period.

Matt D’Amato off the bench in the first period made 13 points including three three pointer’s. D’Amato finished the game with 18 points, which it was a career high after the game he told me “I finally feel good hit a few shots first game hitting a couple like that so definitely a good confident boast and hopefully I can carry it on to the end of the season,” D’Amato said.

Knights Daniel Almarante shooting his two free throw shots against Bunker Hill Community College. Photo by Jose Rodriguez, Sports Editor

The Knights were leading 43 to 34 at the half a nine-point lead and never blow the lead ever since.

Daniel Almarente of Lawrence who scored 14 points against Bunker Hill told me “To be honest that was a really tough team they were playing really aggressive and both side we were really weren’t getting to many calls so it was a greedy game today,” Almarante said.

In between the second period Knights was not playing as aggressive as they were coach Stratton told me “We very sloppy very sloppy we were missing good shots opportunity I mean Kevin (Monteiro) missed a couple bunny underneath he usually makes I mean R2 (Mehmet) missed three or four wide open shots that Philip and Metin give them excellent passes off of that.. it comes from mental focus also I am going to give Bunker Hill a ton of credit I think their length and their size coast problem for us tonight…” Stratton said.

Mehmet and Phillip each receive a foul in a span of 26 second to begin the second period. Knights had 8 fouls in the second half while Bunker Hill had 9. Overall the Knights had 13 fouls in the entire game and Bunker Hill 10.

During the game in the second period with 5:55 remaining to end the game Marvel Vilmont of Bunker Hill got injured and did not return to the game Knights were up 60 to 54 at that time and hold on to defeat Bunker Hill 70 to 56.

Knights improve 6-2 in conference game and 9-7 overall.

Knights are looking to make it six in a row as they welcome University of Connecticut of Avery Point on Thu. Jan. 27,  for a conference division game tip off is scheduled for 6 p.m.

On Nov. 20 at Connecticut the Knights defeated University of Avery Point 62 to 59 early in the season.

Sports

Knights Basketball first four game winning streak since 2017-18 season

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On Thursday, Jan. 20, NECC Knights was in action and defeated Eastern Nazarene JV 84 to 63.  It was there first game back at home in the spring semester.

They host Eastern Nazarene JV for a non-conference division game. Tip off was at 6 p.m.

Fans are not permitted for the next four home games during the month of January as voted by the NJCAA region 21 athletic director due to the high spike of the omicron variant.

The Knights have won three in a row. Heading into Jan. 20 contest they were looking to win there first four game winning streak since 2017.

Mehmet Asik of Ankara, Turkey, said he did not felt weird at all playing without fans.

“To be honest I didn’t felt weird and I don’t think any of us felt weird ,”he said. “Playing with fans is always more fun and push us more but at the end of the day we do what we do and our job is go and play…I think we were okay but if we had fans that will be more fun for sure.”

I asked coach Darren Stratton what kind of preparation the boys were doing during the break.

“They were doing a strength and conditioning program over a drive once we left on break and the other thing is we started up on Jan. 3 as far our regular practice goes…” Stratton said.

I asked Coach Stratton before the game if playing without fans would affect the players.

He explained, “I think we having an advantage towards that for one reason. We were one of  two junior colleges in our region last year that were able to play during a Covid season. So last year Christian Kinsley, Daniel Almarante, Cameron Stratton played through the Covid season where we didn’t had any fans… I think that they can help the kids on our basketball team get them mentally prepared without fans and that’s a good strength,” Stratton said.

Matt Logue, Elijah Hass, Cameron Stratton and Ezekiel Barning was not eligible to play against Eastern Nazarene JV because of academic issues.

The Knights started off aggressive to begin the game 11-3 run in the first 2 minutes and 57 seconds. During that run Phillip Cunningham of Haverhill had 4 points, Daniel Almarante of Lawrence had 5 points and Mehmet Asik of Ankara Turkey had 4 points.

Coach Stratton talking to his player after he called a full time out against Eastern Nazarene JV Photo by Jose Rodriguez, Sports Editor

Stratton told me during the post game interview “Right now we’re going with a unit that we feel comfortable with for second semester. They really played well, this unit, against Mass Bay and we felt this unit moves the ball very well. They played very well together both offensive and defensively… this unit that we started really seems to play well together and clicked together…” Stratton said.

The Knights had 8 fouls in the first period while Eastern Nazarene JV had 5. Eastern Nazarene JV had 2 turnovers b during the first 6 minutes in the first period. Meanwhile for the Knights Jasjit Banwait of Malton Ontario had a turnover.

Knights were leading 41 to 29 they were up by 12 at the half. Despite the Knights having a 12 points led Stratton told me “I think we left points on the table in the first half and also defensively we gave up some points that I think that we going to give up on the game to comes…” Stratton said.

Daniel Almarante of Lawrence told me “We were moving the ball really well trying to cut, pass work in our fundamentals and like R2 said (nickname for Mehmet) our chemistry got a lot better.” Almarante said.

Daniel Almarante of Lawrence scored 19 points throughout the game 10 in the first half and 9 in the second half.

“I think Daniel is getting better and better every single game I know they is a lot Daniel needs to improve on but he is a kid that always come to work he always puts in the extra time he always listens he always take the criticism positivity…” Stratton said.

Asik of Ankara, Turkey scored 20 points during the game.

Stratton talked to me a little bet about his performance ? “I am going to be honest with you his scoring might have been there but I attribute that to the passes he received from his teammates because Mehmet tonight was struggling defensively that has become a concern for me and we going to talk about…” Stratton said.

In the second period the Knights was struggling in between they started strong when the second period start and when it ended but in the middle it was a problem for them they weren’t as aggressive. The Knights had 9 fouls during the second period overall they finished with 17 fouls during the game.

The performance of Daniel Almarante and Mehmet Asik  combining 39 points together it was enough to defeat Eastern Nazarene JV 84 to 63.

This is the Knights first four game winning streak since 2017.They will host Bunker Hill Community College for a conference division game on Sun. Jan. 23 tip off is scheduled to be at noon.