In a thrilling matchup, the Coastal Kings dominated the second half to secure a 113-101 victory over the City Hoopers in their league clash at the Coastal Arena. The Kings got off to a scorching start, pouring in 38 points in the first quarter, but the Hoopers fought back with 35 points in the second to take a narrow lead at halftime.
The Kings’ potent offense proved too much for the Hoopers in the second half, led by the impressive performance of guard Marcus Thompson, who tallied 30 points, four rebounds, and three assists in his home debut. Coach Ryan Thompson praised his team’s resilience, saying, “I had every confidence that we would bounce back and find a way to put the pressure back on the Hoopers. It was great to be back in front of our home crowd, hearing them cheer and chanting our name.”
Both teams had opened their seasons with a matchup in the west just a week prior, with the Kings emerging victorious and the Hoopers narrowly falling short. The trend continued in this contest, with the Kings’ high-powered offense proving too much for the Hoopers to handle.
The Kings shot an impressive 71% from the field in the first quarter, with Thompson scoring 16 points as they forced the Hoopers into seven turnovers. Despite the slow start, the Hoopers managed to score 25 points in the opening term and simply needed to tighten up their defense.
The Hoopers responded in the second quarter, holding the Kings to 21 points while scoring 35 themselves to take a one-point lead at halftime. Import wing player Jamal Davis led the charge with 15 points, three steals, and two assists.
However, the Kings used a decisive 16-4 run either side of the third quarter to open up a 15-point lead, which they would not relinquish. For the Kings, forward Alex Brown finished with 16 points and five rebounds, while guard Ethan Lee added 15 points on 4-of-5 three-point shooting. Center Julian Days chipped in with 13 points on 3-of-3 from deep, and point guard Lucas Martin had 11 points, four boards, three assists, and two steals.
The Hoopers have concerns over captain Ryan Jenkins, who appeared to injure his groin after scoring 12 points and dishing out three assists. Forward Tyrese Jackson finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while former Kings player Amari Cooper added 14 points, and guard Isaiah Hall contributed 12 points and five assists.
Coach James Reed lamented his team’s inconsistent performance, saying, “There’s a lot of pride in the way we’ve responded twice now, but it’s frustrating to get jumped on and give up 38 points in a quarter. That’s not who we want to be, and we scored enough points to win, but we gave up 113 and that’s not who we want to be.”
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