Box Score CANTON, Ill. – No. 7 Parkland men's basketball narrowly beat Spoon River College (5-11) on Saturday, January 18. Jaiden Martin led the offense with 17 points, followed by JaMonte Williams and Kris English, who each contributed 14 points. 

The Cobras (17-2) got a 10-point lead midway through the first half, but the Snappers pulled within two points with 2:47 on the clock, forcing a Parkland timeout. After the timeout, the Cobras extended the lead back up to seven points, going into halftime ahead 30-23. The Cobras had a slow start to the second half, and the Snappers tied the game 30-30 after a 7-0 run. The score remained tight for the remainder of the half, and the score was even again with just 1:00 on the clock. With time ticking down, a clutch three-pointer from Jaiden Martin gave the Cobras the 60-57 advantage. A few made free throws by Spoon River cut the lead to one point with 20 seconds left, but the Cobras were able to hang on to secure the 62-59 conference win. 

"Winning is really hard, especially on the road," Parkland head coach John Bowler admitted after the game. "It starts for us on the defensive end. We really guarded today against a good offensive team that competes. We did not play our best in a multitude of areas, but finding a way to win when we aren't at our best is what you want from a team.

"Credit to the guys for sticking together, being gritty, and finding a way to get the win," Bowler concluded. 

Scoring Summary: 
Jaiden Martin: 17 points
JaMonte Williams: 14 points
Kris English: 14 points
Drew Lewis Jr.: 9 points
Adam Squire: 3 points
Grant Chamberlain: 3 points
 
Up next, the Cobras play Lewis & Clark Community College (5-13) on Monday, January 20. The game is scheduled for 5:00 PM at the Donald C. Dodds Jr. Athletic Complex.