Knights Charge Past Panthers
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Junior guard and team captain Kyle Szokoli sets up a play for the Knights. He scored 16 points in Tuesday night’s win over Miller Place. Long Islander News photo/Connor Beach
By Connor Beach
cbeach@longislandergroup.com
The Elwood/John Glenn Knights started 2018 on the right foot on Tuesday evening when they defeated the Panthers of Miller Place in a comfortable, 68-53, win at home.
In the first quarter the Knights took full advantage of some relaxed perimeter defense from the Panthers by sinking a few three-pointers early. Junior guard Kyle Szokoli made four of the Knight’s seven threes on the way to a team high 16-point effort.
Starting from the first whistle Glenn rebounded well on the offensive and defensive glass, and they continued to overpower the Panthers on the boards throughout the game.
The first quarter ended with the Knights leading, 19-14. They never looked back from there.
In the second quarter the Knights played high energy defense that forced Miller Place into several turnovers and allowed Glenn to stretch their lead.
The Knights created chances for their big men down low on offense in the second quarter, and they continued to rebound well.
Senior forward Matt Noonan racked up 15 points and eight rebounds on the night, while junior forward Justin Tiernan scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
The first half ended with Glenn leading the Panthers, 34-24, on the back of strong physical play down low from Noonan, Tiernan and senior guard Steve Deverteuil who scored four points on the night.
The Knights came out of the locker room for the second half ready to run. Their quick double-teams on defense created transition opportunities, and Szokoli and sophomore guard Josh Fenner did a good job handling the ball and finding teammates for easy layups. Fenner finished the game with 14 points, five assists and five rebounds.
The third quarter ended with Glenn up, 51-36.
The Knights were able to see out the game in the fourth quarter with a combination of solid defense and their continued ability to make shots from all over the court.
Freshman guard Matt Uss was all over the court on defense, forcing turnovers and contributing two points to the win. Junior Joe Salerno and senior Christian Varlack each scored two points, and junior forward Daysean Johnson rounded out the Knight’s scoring with three points.
After the game coach Charly Rogener praised his captains Szokoli and Fenner for their ability to “tear apart” the Miller Place zone early, and Noonan’s work in the paint.
“We really stepped up on defense with active hands and rebounding; plus we created a lot of points in transition, which is always huge for us,” Rogener said.
The win improves the Knights league record to 2-3. They were set to travel to Hampton Bays tonight, 6:15 p.m. to take on the 1-4 Baymen, but whether the game would actually be played was uncertain with the looming winter storm.
