CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The No. 3 seed Parkland College men’s basketball team struggled from the field at the wrong time on Sunday, March 12th, as the Cobras fell 71-47 to No. 1 seed Danville Area Community College in the Central District Championship game at the Donald C. Dodds Jr. Athletic Complex. The Cobras fell behind by 22 points in the first half and shot just 18-56 (32%) from the field as Parkland’s postseason run ended with the loss on Sunday. Freshman Jabryn Anderson came off the bench to lead the Cobras with 12 points, and freshman Don Coats III grabbed a team-high eight rebounds in the loss.
Parkland College head coach John Bowler credited DACC after the loss, saying, “Congratulations to Danville. They earned the win.”
“I’m proud of the run we were able to make this year,” the first-year head coach continued. “Our guys never gave up and fought until the end.”
The Jaguars hit their shots early, and Bowler called timeout with the Cobras trailing 11-4 with 15:02 to play in the first half, but the DACC defense stifled Parkland, and the hosts trailed 25-12 before DACC took a timeout with 7:58 until halftime. The Cobras went into halftime down 38-16 after shooting 23.1 percent from the field in the first half. The Jaguars hit back-to-back shots to open the second half, and the Cobras trailed 42-16. Later, Parkland freshman Jabryn Anderson made two quick layups and Tye Banks hit a midrange jumper to cut the deficit to 48-24 with 13:30 to go. Sophomore Clovis Gallon Jr. provided a spark off the bench in the second half, splashing a three and knocking down back-to-back midrange jumpers to trim the lead to 59-37 with 6:46 remaining, before Anderson cut it to 20 with 5:35 left. DACC outscored Parkland 12-5 at the free throw line in the second half, and the Cobras could not get closer than that. The Cobras shot just 3-24 from beyond the arc, and their season ended with a 71-47 loss in the District Championship Game.
Statistical Overview:
- Jabryn Anderson: 12 points, 2 rebounds
- Sean Ealy: 8 points, 4-5 FTM, 2 assists
- Clovis Gallon Jr: 7 points
- Don Coats III: 5 points, 8 rebounds
- Brylan Phillips: 3 rebounds, 4 assists
“I want to thank our sophomores for their hard work and dedication to this program,” Bowler added after the loss. “We will be even better moving forward due to the foundation they laid.”
“We will build from this moment,” Bowler finished.
