Box Score CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The No. 4 Parkland College men's basketball team bounced back with a 63-58 win over Lincoln Land Community College on Sophomore Day on Saturday, February 24. The Cobras (25-3) (9-2) started strong against the Loggers (11-13) (5-6) and survived a late push from the visitors in the second half, holding on to the lead to improve to 14-1 at home this season. Parkland shot 22-48 (46%) from the field and 6-14 (43%) from three in the win, while holding LLCC to 21-55 (38%) from the field and 7-20 (35%) from deep. Sophomore Brylan Phillips led the Cobras in scoring, matching a season-high with 17 points in the win.
 
"There is a level of togetherness and toughness that our sophomores play with that's really great," head coach John Bowler said after the Sophomore Day game. "Overall, we rely on that group because of their chemistry on the court. When they share the ball, they're special."
 
"I liked our defensive effort again," Bowler mentioned. "It felt like we blew up a lot of their plays, kept them to a lower field goal percentage, and we put them in tough situations, which is good."
 
Parkland jumped out to an early 8-2 lead four minutes into the game, forcing an early timeout from Lincoln Land. The Cobras continued to grow their lead out of the timeout until an 11-2 run from the Loggers gave the visitors a 16-15 lead with 9:30 remaining in the first half. Parkland responded quickly with a 13-2 run of its own to take a 28-18 lead with 5:25 left in the half, forcing another LLCC timeout. Both offenses cooled off before the break, and the Cobras led 33-26 going into halftime. Lincoln Land opened the second half with a bucket, and the ensuing momentum carried the visitors to a 40-38 lead with 11:30 to go. After just three free throws in the first half, both teams frequented the free throw line in the second half, and the Loggers called timeout after Brylan Phillips sank two to tie the game 45-45 with 7:19 on the clock. Neither team could run away from the other, as the game remained tied 52-52 with 3:30 remaining until a rapid 9-0 run from the Cobras put Parkland up 61-52 with just over a minute left. The Cobras struggled from the line down the stretch, going 2-10 in the final minute, but still managed to close out the 63-58 win over the Loggers.
 
Scoring Summary:
Brylan Phillips: 17 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists
Tye Banks: 16 points, 7 rebounds
Grant Coleman: 7 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks
Jabryn Anderson: 6 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists
 
Up next, Parkland will face Illinois Central College on the road on Wednesday, February 28. Tip-off against the Cougars (17-10) (6-4) is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.