CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The No. 8 Parkland College men's basketball team returned to winning ways at home with a 64-59 win over Spoon River College on Wednesday, January 24. The Cobras (18-2) (3-1) held a 14-point lead over the Snappers (2-15) (0-3) at halftime, but a big second half from the visitors closed the gap, and Parkland hung on for the conference win. The hosts held Spoon River to just four second-chance points, outrebounding the Snappers 32-30. Sophomore Ken Sallee came off the bench to lead the Cobras with 16 points in the win.
 
"I think defensively we did a good job holding them," head coach John Bowler said after the game. "We had some good moments and then we let off the gas a little bit."
 
"Credit goes to (Spoon River). They battled, and we should've won in more decisive fashion," Bowler added. "That's where we have to get to. It's just another step we need to take as a team to separate ourselves."
 
Both offenses started strong, with the Cobras taking an early 23-15 lead following a 10-0 run with 8:38 to go in the first half. The Parkland defense stepped up closer to halftime, forcing a steal-and-score to take a 32-20 lead with 4:11 on the clock, and the Cobras led 36-22 at halftime. In the second half, Spoon River struggled from beyond the arc as the Parkland lead grew to 46-30 midway through the half, but the Snappers found a rhythm and closed the gap to 54-45 with 7:52 to go, forcing the Cobras to call timeout. Parkland led 60-47 with 5:30 remaining before the offense fell cold, coughing up turnovers and allowing Spoon River to trim the deficit to 60-56 with just under a minute left. Sophomore Isaac Mapson III scored with 20 seconds on the clock, and Ken Sallee hit two clutch free throws with 7 seconds remaining, and the Cobras closed out the 64-59 win.
 
Scoring Summary:
Ken Sallee: 16 points (6-6 FTs)
Drew Lewis Jr.: 11 points, 5 rebounds
Isaac Mapson III: 10 points, 3 rebounds
Brylan Phillips: 7 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists
Tye Banks: 6 points, 7 rebounds
 
Up next, Parkland takes on Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield, Illinois, on Saturday, January 27. Tip-off against the Loggers (8-8) (3-1) is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.