CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Parkland College men's basketball team opened postseason play with a dominant 108-48 win over Lewis & Clark Community College in the first round of the NJCAA DII Region 24 Tournament on Wednesday, March 6th. The No. 1 seed Cobras (26-4) rolled the No. 8 seed Trailblazers (3-24) from the tip, outrebounding them 43-26 and recording 32 assists in the win. Redshirt sophomore Grant Coleman (26 points, 9 rebounds) led all scorers after a red-hot night beyond the arc, shooting 7-11 from three, and freshman JaMonte Williams (10 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals) stuffed his stat sheet in 24 minutes off the bench, leading the team in assists and steals.
 
"I think that was the first complete game we've had all year," head coach John Bowler recalled after the win. "I thought everybody was locked in from the start, and I know it's a cliché, but I think it showed."
 
"We played really well defensively to hold them to 27 percent from the field, and we shot it well on the offensive end. It was good to see Grant (Coleman) get rolling. I think the biggest thing on top of all of this, is scoring 58 points in the paint. We established ourselves there, and we decided to not let up in that area – and that was huge."
 
"We've got some gamers. We've got some winners in this locker room," Bowler said. "I think these dudes were a little bit hungrier after dropping two out of the last three games, and I think we were refreshed knowing that it is do-or-die now in the postseason. It's good to see. Hopefully, we can keep it up."
 
Parkland powered past Lewis & Clark early in the game, shutting out the visitors while building an 18-0 lead capped by an emphatic dunk by freshman Fabio Da Rocha with 13:09 to go in the first half. The Trailblazers ended their scoring drought midway through the half, but the Cobras continued to heat up, and sophomore Grant Coleman knocked down back-to-back-to-back threes on three straight possessions to put Parkland up 35-6 and force Lewis & Clark to call timeout with 6:34 until halftime. The Cobras kept their foot on the gas before the break, and the hosts ended the first half up 54-15. Parkland pushed the pace early in the second half and did not hesitate to pull up from deep, growing the lead to 76-25 on a Jabryn Anderson three with 12:55 to go. The Cobras led by as much as 100-39 with just over four minutes to go before slowing down and cruising to a 108-48 win on Wednesday night.
 
Scoring Summary:
Grant Coleman: 26 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, 4 blocks
Jabryn Anderson: 21 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals
Fabio Da Rocha: 15 points, 4 rebounds
Tye Banks: 12 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks
JaMonte Williams: 10 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals
Ken Sallee: 10 points, 3 rebounds
 
Up next, Parkland takes on No. 4 seed Danville Area Community College on Saturday, March 9th, in the NJCAA DII Central District Semifinals. Tip-off against the Jaguars (18-11) is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at Rend Lake College in Ina, Illinois.