MANSFIELD – The Tuesday night matchup between East Knox and Temple Christian (TCS) had scoring bursts on either end and plenty of lead changes in between.
The Bulldogs leaped out to a 11-0 lead early in the first quarter and seemed to be in control.
Then, Crusaders’ point guard Emonde Adkins led a scoring charge that slashed the Bulldog’s lead 19-17 by the end of the first quarter and over took it by half, 34-32.
Adkins was kept busy leading and breaking full court pressure throughout the game. “I just tend keep myself relaxed, not focus on the pressure, and continue to play my game and get opportunities for my teammates,” he said. The speedy point guard finished with 24 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists.
The year has been one of adjustment for Akins. He, along with starting forward Jordan Spencer, transferred to Temple after People’s Baptist Academy ceased its athletic programs.
“It’s a good fit. I’m home,” he said of the transfer to a new team. “We’re like family. We’re all brothers.”
The Crusaders also got scoring bursts from siblings Ben Grover, 15 points, and Josh Grover, 9 points. Spencer added 10 points.
Supplementing the Crusader’s scoring was a full court pressure that swarmed and frustrated the Bulldogs through the final three frames. Temple’s swarming guard/wing rotation of Adkins, Josh Grover, Ben Grover, Josiah Custer, and Jacob McClelland forced the Bulldogs into deep lobs and double team traps for the rest of the game.
“Our goal from the beginning of tip until we step off the court is too get a lot of pressure. Initially, we thought we’d just go with man to man,” said TCS head coach Brad Humble. But the Bulldogs’ early lead caused him to adjust course with an emphasis on team play.
“I told the guys – they know – we’re not talented enough just to go out and just beat people with somebody putting up 30 points every night. We have to do it as a team. We’ve got to put pressure, we’ve got to get easy baskets. [Our team] fought, clawed their way in and finished the game out strong.”
Entering the fourth tied at 44, the game’s final scoring burst turned the tide. Temple scored 22 points and limited East Knox to just 12 to finish, 66-56.
“We played exactly into their hands They were pressing us, wanting us to turn the ball over, take quick shots so they can down to the other end and score right away,” Bulldog’s head coach Jeremy Hubbard said of the final frame. “We didn’t do a very good job of taking care of the basketball. We’ve got to get better in that area and until we do, that’s going to be a problem for us all year.”
The Crusaders also won the JV set 41-36. Chris Spencer led the Crusaders with 18 points.
East Knox will play Danville on Friday and will look to snap a four game skid. The Crusaders will host Western Reserve Academy.
