They avoided talking about it but knew they needed one badly.
The RDC Kings playoff hopes remained alive this weekend after they did what they tried not to discuss all week– a sweep.
RDC beat the Lethbridge College Kodiaks twice on consecutive days, including an 85-69 win at the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre Saturday afternoon.
It was their defensive showing that impressed head coach Clayton Pottinger. RDC held the Kodiaks to just 13 points in the fourth quarter of the victory Saturday and are now tied in the Alberta College Athletic Conference south division standings.
“I thought the defence was phenomenal. It led us. Offensively, we made shots when we needed to make shots. We’re still a little bit out of sync. If you’re defending, you’re going to be in the game,” Pottinger said.
“We knew that the Kodiaks would be tough. Their backs were against the wall. I was pleasantly surprised by our ability to handle those waves of pressure they kept coming with.”
Fourth-year guard Spencer Klassen quietly led the way offensively again for the Kings. The Red Deer product finished with a game-high 34 points and was four-for-four from three-point range to go along with six rebound. He was also player of the game for the Kings.
Kings guard Malik Smith had 10 assists, five rebounds and four points, while Anthony Harper chipped in 13 points.
The Kings have five regular-season games remaining.
The RDC Queens struggled once again on home court.
They suffered their fifth straight loss in ACAC play Saturday at the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre.
This one was ugly from the get-go, as the Lethbridge College Kodiaks handed the Queens a 46-30 defeat.
RDC scored just three points in the second quarter and only hit double digits in the fourth, with the game out of reach.
“Our defence was actually pretty good for the most part. We had a couple lulls but overall, it was pretty good,” Queens head coach Ken King said, before discussing their pitfalls.
“We had three quarters where we scored under 10 points and a quarter where we scored under five points, I don’t think anyone expects to win when nobody is trying to score.”
Even more troubling for King, was his teams’ turnover number and their unwillingness to shoot in the contest.
“We turned it over like machines in the first quarter, lazy passes and not coming back to the basketball,” King said.
“The byproduct of that is not shooting the ball as much and way too many people that are trying to pass it more…You’re not going to get many shots up when there’s that many people turning the ball over four or more times.”
The Kings and Queens both play the Olds College Broncos on Friday, Feb. 8 in Olds.
Email sports tips to Byron Hackett
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