Kings knock off the reigning champions
Red Deer, October 20, 2023 - The Red Deer Polytechnic Kings managed to defeat the reigning ACAC and CCAA Champions in their opening match of the season against the SAIT Trojans.
Guard Marcus Masters (Open Studies) would open up the 2023/2024 season at Red Deer Polytechnic with a three-pointer right off the tip-off. But local guard Mac Manyluk (Bachelor of Business Administration) would follow this up with two points in the paint for the Kings as he would score the first bucket for his team under their new head coach Jedell Foster. Following these two early scores, it was very much a defensive game as the first quarter went along. The Kings would break out in the final minute of the quarter to take a 17-13 lead into the second.
As the Trojans entered the second quarter, they managed to battle back and make it a one-point game. But the energy shifted after a dunk from guard Derrick Amponsa (Open Studies) that sent him and his teammates into a frenzy. The Trojans would quickly silence them with a bucket on the following play, and a two-hand slam by forward Will Tong (Open Studies) a minute later. The Trojans still found themselves down by five with two minutes left to play in the half and at the end of the quarter, the Kings were up 41-30.
Both Kings Tyrique Walters and Trojans Masters led their respective team's with 11 at the half.
The Trojans would fight in the early goings of the second half and made it a closer game but the Kings would explode in the late stages of the third on offence and found themselves up by 18 with two minutes left to play. At the end of the quarter, the Kings had a commanding 64-45 lead as they went into the final 10 minutes of the game.
In the first two minutes of the fourth, Trojans forward Kuol Kuol (Fitness & Wellness Management) would drive from the three-point arch into the paint and put back a two-hand slam to bring the energy back on the Trojans side of the court as they were down by 16. Kuol would put back his second dunk of the night but it was not enough as the Kings managed to defeat the reigning ACAC and CCAA champions 82-73.
The players of the game were awarded to Trojans Marcus Masters and Kings Jose Mauro. Masters had a 28 point performance with Mauro finishing with eight points and eight rebounds.
They will face one another in a rematch in Calgary on Sunday afternoon.