BY PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Shykell Brown hasn’t touched the game floor since December 16th. That’s when the Bishop Kearney King suffered an injury late in a victory over Campus Magnet School of Queens, New York. In the three games since (all losses), the Kings struggled to find continuity on offense.
All that changed Saturday.
Brown collected three assists and two points in the third quarter as Bishop Kearney turned a two-point halftime edge into a double-digit advantage on their way to a 77-56 victory over the Lancaster Legends (VI).
“Glad we were able to end that slump,” Brown said. “It was frustrating sitting on the bench and watching that happen.”
With the senior guard back in the lineup, Kearney (3-6) scored nearly as many points in the second half as it averaged in its last three contests.
“We missed that,” Kearney coach Kevin Goode Sr. said of having Brown’s playmaking skills in the lineup. “Being able to have him control the offense makes all the difference.”
Brown sparked a decisive 11-1 run early in the third quarter when he led Michael Gentile in transition for a layup and found Kevin Goode Jr. for a 3-pointer on the next possession.
Michael Gentile takes a Shykell Brown lead on the break and finishes with a reverse. pic.twitter.com/sO9qC1i3iY
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) January 7, 2018
“He adds another dimension because he can drive and shoot,” Kevin Goode Jr. said. “It spreads the court out.”
After AJ Gray finished in the lane and Goode converted a steal and layup, Brown connected twice from the free throw line. BK led 40-28 and never looked back.
Shykell Brown draws the defense and kicks to Kevin Goode Jr. for the 3 in transition. pic.twitter.com/vauFK4S8Hz
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) January 7, 2018
The Kings forced seven turnovers in the quarter while allowing just three field goals.
“It was pretty good aggressive defense,” Brown said. “Just playing together and trusting each other. Playing hard on defense.”
With Brown watching from the bench, Kearney averaged 55 points per game in losses to Bishop Timon (VI), Greece Athena and Hilton. Saturday they scored 50 points in the second half.
“‘K2’ (Goode Jr.) did a good job, but what opposing teams noticed was that he was the only ballhandler so they really pressured him and threw us out of our game,” Kevin Goode Sr. explained. “Being able to have the dual threat is very beneficial.
“We took a few lumps in December. Hopefully we can start bouncing back and righting the ship in January, so that we can be playing our best in February.”
Shykell Brown gets in the paint for the dish to Jamal Williams, pic.twitter.com/PuBJ4bbOhB
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) January 7, 2018
Brown and Gray combined on a spectacular alley oop early in the fourth quarter with Gray putting an exclamation point on the play sending home a hammer dunk from along the baseline.
Kearney led 57-36.
“At halftime, we told them to get to get focused and execute, play harder on defense,” Goode Sr. said. “I said ‘you’ll be surprised what the score is at the end of the game.’ It was like I’m a fortune teller.”
Kevin Goode Jr. led all scorers with 18. Jamal Fennell added 16 for the Kings. Gentile connected three times behind the 3-point arc and scored 13 points. Gray had 12. Brown collected nine points and nine assists. Jamal Williams chipped in seven points and Jordan Love had two.
Owen Adamec scored seven and paced seven different Legends with five points or more.
*Article updated to include accurate assist total for Shykell Brown.
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