Box Score CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Parkland men's basketball team picked up their first M-WAC Conference win of the season on Sunday afternoon, defeating John Wood Community College 88-84. The Cobras jumped out to a quick 12-2 lead and never trailed in their first victory of 2022, and their third straight win at home. A'Kieon Gill lead the Cobras in scoring with 20, including 16 in the second half, and Parkland has now won seven straight games dating back to December 1st.
 
The Cobras (10-4) may have jumped out to a big lead early, but the Blazers (11-8) managed to respond to Parkland's initial 12-2 run with a 9-0 run of their own. The two teams remained in a tight contest for most of the first half. The Cobras led 36-30 at halftime, in large part thanks to Jamil Hardaway's 12 points on 5-5 shooting. The second half looked like the A'Kieon Gill show at first, when the sophomore transfer hit three straight from behind the arc, but the Blazers would not go away. Gill finished the game with 20 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists. The Cobras shared the basketball extremely well and Parkland eventually stretched the lead all the way to 16 with 8:31 remaining, but John Wood shot 19-31 (61.3%) from the field in the second half and kept it close until the very end. Blazers' sophomore Ja'veon Taylor shot 3-4 from three in the second half and finished with 16 points, but it wasn't enough. Sean Ealy (16 points, 3 rebounds) hit two clutch free throws down the stretch and the Cobras picked up their first conference win in the season.
 
Scoring Summary:
A'Kieon Gill: 20 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists
Sean Ealy: 16 points, 3 rebounds
Jamil Hardaway: 14 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists
Savon Wykle: 12 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals
Josh Rivers: 8 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals
 
Up next, the Cobras hit the road to take on Danville Area Community College on Wednesday, January 19th. Tip-off is set for 7:30 PM on Wednesday.