The PCA Paladins defeated the Laurel Knighthawks 72-57 in Laurel Saturday afternoon to take over the No. 1 seed.
The PCA-Laurel game on Saturday afternoon was a highly-anticipated matchup. It was a rematch of last year’s MSAHA Finals, which the Laurel Knighthawks won 57-53. On top of that, it was a contest of the top two seeds in the MSAHA. The Knighthawks sat at an 11-4 overall record with a 4-0 conference record. The PCA Paladins sat at a 6-5 overall record and a 2-0 conference record. To further rise excitement in the contest, TSJW Network covered the game live on the TSJW Network YouTube.
The game began with a hot start from the PCA Paladins. They took a 10-2 lead behind early scoring from Timothy Singletary. Laurel was able to bounce back, cutting the lead making it 15-12 after the first period. This was a normal start for the Knighthawks. They have grown accustomed to coming from behind all season long. PCA proved that today would not be the day.
The Paladins pushed the lead up to 12 at halftime. But, in the third quarter, they exploded. The Paladins went on an avalanche of scoring, winning the quarter 27-12 and taking a 27-point lead. Though they could have let up, the Paladins did not. They remembered last year all too well. Last year in the playoffs, the Knighthawks came from 17 down to beat the PCA Paladins. PCA Head Coach Chris Ericksen was sure that there would not be a repeat. The Paladins played hard from start to finish to secure the win.
Though the PCA Paladins are now the No. 1 team in the MSAHA, PCA still looks to improve. After the game, Ericksen noted “”We still have a lot of improvement to go. If I said we couldn’t improve any more, that would be a lie.” Last year, the Paladins finished the regular season as the top team in the conference, but were unable to pull out the championship. This year, they look to stay poised to the end in order to hoist their first MSAHA 18UB championship in program history.
Colyn Ericksen powered the Paladins with a game-high 26 points. Timothy Singletary and Gabriel McDonald pushed the Paladins with 16 points and 13 points respectively. PCA newcomer Seth Conner impressed, running the show at the point for the Paladins.
The Laurel Knighthawks and the PCA Paladins will both head to Mobile, AL this week for a Christmas tournament to end out basketball for 2021.
Full MSAHA Standings are hosted right here on TSJW Network.
Full Games are available on MSAHA League Pass.
