Seniors Emmanuel Lemba and Jordan Johnson-Rader were honored for their 4-year commitment to the Panthers’ basketball before the game on February 12 at the Clark Center. With parents and loved ones in attendance, it was a great night for Lemba and Johnson-Rader.
The Panthers made sure everyone had a night to remember, winning the game 65-50. The Panthers have won two home games in a row and improved their record to 2-22.
The game started out well for the Panthers with Chris Smith connecting for a couple of midrange baskets. But the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USSMA) started to pull away in the first half, by halftime they led by 11 with a score of 31-20.
Coach Tomlin emphasized that the Panthers needed to turn this around with hard pressure, lockdown defense, and some huge baskets early in the second half.
Amadi Lee-Kane, Chris Smith, and Jordan Johnson-Rader combined for 50 of the Panther’s 65 total points. Lee-Kane continued to dazzle as a junior point guard with 27 points in 40 minutes of playing time. Johnson-Rader had 10 points with some timely baskets to help the Panthers pull away from the USSMA. Emmanuel Lemba had a big block and played some great defense in the few minutes he was out there.
“It was really nice to see the guys come together and dig ourselves out of a huge deficit like we did in the first half and it showed that we were the better team out there in the second half,” Coach Tomlin said after the game. “As long as we dominate like we did in that second half, we will be successful every time.”
Coach Tomlin said he is proud of his seniors and that they worked hard out there. He explained that they earned their spots on the team because of their commitment to the coaches and their hustle in practice every day.
The Panthers were defeated by Farmingdale State College, 80-60, in the last game of the season on Saturday, February 17.
