By: Luis Ozejo
Photos By: Alejandro Rojas
After a promising win against Fleming earlier in the week, the Colts fell to the Loyalist Lancers 81-76 on Friday night in a see-saw match-up that saw the lead change hands several times.
Despite only having only 8 players dressed for the game, the Colts kept the game close, taking a 6 point lead with 2 minutes left in the game. Unfortunately, the short bench caught up with the Colts in the final quarter. Up 6, the Colts committed several fouls and gave up critical offensive rebounds, allowing the Loyalist to take the lead for good with 46 seconds left.
That's two straight losses at home for the Colts, but coach Trevor Challenger believes the team has shown a lot despite their lack of experience.
"The guys displayed, for the most part, three very strong quarters despite their lack of experience," said Challenger at the end of the game. "I think our guys played well, they were very confident throughout the game, but in the end, we ran out of gas."
Sadly for his players, they couldn't get the outcome they wanted after all their efforts, with frustration and disappointment appearing in their faces with the final buzzer.
Overall, the Colts looked much more organized offensively and defensively, with Covaun Armstrong showing once again why he is one of the core pieces of the team. The Brampton native finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists, including one three-pointer and having an FG% of nearly 50%.
The support of his teammates was key so that Loyalists couldn't grab a comfortable lead during the first two quarters of the game, giving Centennial to steal their momentum after half-time.
When the Colts finally were able to grab the lead in the final minutes, their lack of efficiency prevented them from putting the final nail on the coffin of the Lancers. Now Centennial has to focus on their game against St. Lawrence on Sunday.