CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The No. 5 Parkland College men's basketball team held off a charging Rock Valley College team 74-71 on Saturday, February 3. The Cobras (21-2) led by double-digits early in the second half against the Eagles (16-6), but a late rally from the visitors closed the gap before clutch buckets from Tye Banks (14 points, 10 rebounds) and free throws from Ken Sallee (21 points, 5-9 3PT) lifted Parkland past Rock Valley for the team's fifth straight win.
 
After the game, head coach John Bowler credited his team's defense, saying, "These guys have bought into what we've been doing, and holding (Rock Valley) to 35 percent from the field and 33 percent from three is another great night out for our defense.
 
"We need to clean some of it up, especially in transition," Bowler added. "It's just a second or third effort, but we'll get there."
 
"(Rock Valley) really struggled to guard Ken (Sallee) in space, and seeing him be able to knock down shots and play that well…The credit goes to our team because it seems to be somebody different stepping up every night, and the more that we're bought into that idea, the harder we are going to be to beat."
 
A slow start for both offenses, Parkland led 16-14 with 8:43 remaining in the first half following a Ken Sallee three. The sophomore knocked down triples on the next two trips down the floor to kickstart the offense and give the Cobras a 22-16 lead. Parkland held on to a slim lead for the rest of the half before closing on a 9-0 run and heading into halftime with a 39-28 lead. The Cobras kept it rolling in the second half, leading 46-30 just under three minutes in, but the Eagles got out into transition and raced their way back to within seven with 13:39 to go, forcing coach Bowler to call timeout. Rock Valley kept battling back, tying the game 51-51 with a pair of free throws and 9:30 left, but Parkland responded right away with a 10-2 run, this time forcing the Eagles to use a timeout, down 61-53 with 6:31 remaining. The Eagles refused to give up, charging back and hitting a three to cut it to 69-66 with 1:26 left. Sophomore Tye Banks responded on the next possession with a clutch three of his own to give the Cobras some space, and Ken Sallee knocked down two free throws late to seal the 74-71 win.
 
Scoring Summary:
Ken Sallee: 21 points (5-9 3PT)
Tye Banks: 14 points, 10 rebounds
Jabryn Anderson: 12 points (5-6 FTs), 6 rebounds
Drew Lewis Jr.: 11 points
JaMonte Williams: 7 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists
 
Up next, Parkland will head to Godfrey, Illinois, on Saturday, February 10, for a conference rematch against Lewis & Clark Community College. Tip-off against the Trailblazers (3-15) (1-5) is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.