Knights fizzle out during second half in 83-57 loss to Trinity Baptist

LAURINBURG — The chances were there for the St. Andrews Knights (1-11, 0-10 Appalachian Athletic Conference) to take control of Thursday’s game against the National Christian College Athletic Association’s (NCCAA) Trinity Baptist Eagles (5-5). But, another game slipped away for the Knights in the second half, a recurrent theme this season, as they fell 83-57 at the hands of the Eagles.

At halftime, the Knights were down 37-34, but opened up the second half with a pair of Sincere Clark (10 points, seven rebounds) layups to give them a one-point lead. From there, the Eagles would spurt out a 14-2 run that would put them up 52-40 with 12:57 left in the game.

The Knights would bring it back to a five-point game afterwards, but it would be the closest they would get to recapturing the lead, as the Knights were outscored 31-7 for the rest of the game.

“They (Trinity Baptist) just came out stronger than we did,” Knights head coach Randy Hernandez said after the game, explaining his team’s second half struggles. “That’s pretty much it. We didn’t come with the same intensity, so it went the other route.”

The Knights commenced the first half with two 3-pointers from forward Rafael Alvarez (three points) and guard Brodie Clark (five points), and a made jumper from Sincere Clark. The Eagles were right with the Knights, however, and, then, scored 11 straight points to put them up 19-8.

It was just under the eight-minute mark in the first half, though, when St. Andrews guard Garrett McRae (20 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals, 11 turnovers) would score the final 14 points of the half for the Knights and turn a 30-18 deficit into a three-point deficit.

Although McRae stood out for the Knights, Hernandez believes his performance shouldn’t overshadow the rest of the team.

“For me, it’s not just Garrett McRae, (there’s) a lot of people out there doing the same thing for what we have,” Hernandez said. “Everybody’s just one. Everybody’s doing good; I don’t think it’s a one (person) effort, as everybody has to be playing well together.”

The Knights only had seven players available against the Eagles., as injuries have been a hindrance to the Knights’ season thus far, and another one would be added to the report during the first half.

Forward Rafael Alvarez would come down awkwardly and grab at his right knee, which forced him to limp, with the assistance of an athletic trainer, to the bench, before he went to the locker room. He would return to the bench with a sleeve over his right leg, but didn’t return to the game.

When asked how much of an impact the injuries are having on the season, Hernandez was brief.

“A lot,” Hernandez said. “We’ve got a lot of people injured, so we’ve just got to bring it back next semester when we get everybody back.”

Zach Kiadii finished the game with 20 points for the Eagles. The Eagles, as a team, were 36-of-59 (61%) from the field.

The Knights went 21-of-54 (38.9%) from the floor, but did go 6-of-13 (46.2%) from distance and 9-for-11 (81.8%) from the free throw line.

The Knights will return to the court, following their holiday break, against NCAA Division I opponent South Carolina State on Dec. 30 at a time to-be-announced in Orangeburg, S.C.