CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The No. 3 seed Parkland College men’s basketball team opened their postseason with a 79-70 win over conference foe No. 6 seed Lincoln Land Community College on Wednesday, March 8th, and the Cobras advanced to the Central District Semifinals. The Cobras (17-12) held the Loggers (11-17) under 30 percent from beyond the arc, and sophomore Sean Ealy (18 points) went 6-6 from the free throw line in the final minute to seal the win. Freshman Jabryn Anderson led the team with 19 points off the bench, and Parkland outrebounded Lincoln Land 35-33 to pick up its first win over the Loggers this season.
First-year head coach attributed his first postseason win at Parkland College to the culture, saying, “We’ve got guys who are ready to step up whenever they’re called and I think it showed tonight.”
“There’s a lot of guys in that locker room that have some winning pedigrees, and they want to win and keep playing,” Bowler added.
The Cobras led 9-2 following a 7-0 run early in the first half when the Loggers took their first timeout. Parkland’s stingy defense kept the Lincoln Land offense quiet for most of the half, and a Sean Ealy layup with 4:41 to go gave the Cobras a 26-13 lead and forced another Logger timeout. The visitors cut the deficit down to seven before the break, and Parkland led 31-24 at halftime. The Cobras opened the second half with a three from Ealy, but the lead was back down to four with 15:05 to play. The Loggers did most of the damage from the free throw line, as the Cobra defense held them without a field goal for 8:38 in the second half, and Parkland led 53-39 with 8:40 remaining before Lincoln Land finally broke through. The Cobras led by as many as 17 with 4:46 to go, but a late rally from the Loggers saw the lead trimmed to 71-63 with just over a minute to go. Brylan Phillips sank two late free throws while Ealy went 6-6 from the line to close it out, and Parkland got revenge, 79-70 over Lincoln Land.
Statistical Overview:
- Jabryn Anderson: 19 points, 6-8 FGM, 3 rebounds, 3 assists
- Sean Ealy: 18 points, 6-6 FTM, 2 rebounds, 2 steals
- Isaac Mapson III: 14 points, 7 rebounds
- Tye Banks: 6 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists
- Don Coats III: 3 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks
Up next, Parkland will host the Central District Semifinals on Saturday, March 11th, when the Cobras match up against No. 2 seed Rend Lake College. Tip-off against the Warriors (10-19) is scheduled for 3:00 PM, following No. 1 seed Danville Area Community College versus No. 4 seed Spoon River at 1:00 PM.
