Roughly 15 minutes before Scotland Campus’ 78-54 mauling of IMG Academy at the inaugural Military Circuit at Massanutten Military Academy, Knights head coach Chris Chaney touched on the team’s No.1 national ranking.
Chaney would explain that only from an outsider looking in’s perspective does the idea of being No.1 entail having a price on your head or being vulnerable to a spirited attack.
The veteran coach downplayed the entire notion of being “the hunted,” explaining that such a mentality is flawed. His team’s outlook, he said, should actually be the other way around.
“We’re going after them, it isn’t them after us,” said Chaney, who emphasized his team’s eagerness to not only validate the lofty ranking but get better on a day to day basis while letting the process of everything else run parallel to it all.
Buoyed by a balanced attack and a significant scoring spree which closed out the first half and opened up the second, Scotland certainly played like a team hell-bent on proving themselves. Austin Galuppo scored 21 points, including a pair of four-point plays, to lead all scorers.
Karim Coulibaly scored 12 points and grabbed six boards. He received significant help in the trenches from 6-foot-8 forward Jordon Jones, who scored 11.
Playing at different speeds and with controlled relentlessness, DeQuarius Nicholas scored 10 points, tore down eight boards, and distributed a game-best seven assists. The depth element would again make itself visible, as all 11 players on Scotland’s roster scored.
Clarence Nadolny scored 10 points and grabbed seven boards. Scotland Campus improved to 28-0, with a heavily-anticipated matchup against Mount Zion (Md.) slated for tomorrow at the same venue.
Penn State-bound 6-foot-8 forward Pat Kelly paced IMG with 15 points.
It was a rare off night for IMG’s highly lauded Class of 2019 prospect Lester Quinones, who holds offers from LSU, UCLA, Maryland, and a barrage of others. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard scored a meager four points, toiling through a 1-for-10 afternoon in which he never discovered his touch and rhythm.
“I think we came into the performance with more energy, like we wanted it more than they did,” said Galuppo.
“I felt they came in thinking they were going to beat us. Hey, we just beat IMG by 25. It really doesn’t get much better than that. We’re real happy. We need to execute the same way tomorrow against a very good Mount Zion team. We’ve come too far to get complacent.”
The two teams exchanged momentum swings before the Knights built a 39-23 halftime lead on a frenetic finish. IMG rattled off a 9-2 run, one capped off by Pat Kelly’s corner 3-pointer, to slice the deficit to 19-16.
Scotland’s Akrum Ahemed thwarted the run on a hard surge to the rim and a banker, a move which sparked a 10-0 spurt.
Coulibaly permeated the interior for a layup and Galuppo drew a foul on a pull-up jumper, hitting both free throws. Then, Jordon Jones got free for a bucket inside and Coulibaly leaked out in the open court for a smooth transition dunk. Just like that, Scotland built a 29-16 lead.
That’s when the action intensified.
IMG’s Lonnel Martin scored a bucket in traffic and drilled a deep 3-pointer, cutting the deficit to within nine. Scotland answered as Blake Owens, a 6-foot-9 forward out of Oklahoma, muscled his way to the rim. Galuppo then turned in a wild four-point play with 55 seconds remaining.
The California native hit a 3-pointer from the left corner while absorbing contact that sent him tumbling to the ground before he connected on the free throw. Ben Curtain popped off the bench and banged a momentum-lifting 3-pointer directly before the half.
The second half opened up on a pair of 3-pointers from Nicholas and Kelly. Jones again took advantage of the void in the post, giving Scotland a 44-28 lead on a bulldozing layin.
Nadolny later hit a 3-pointer that gave the Knights a commanding 48-30 lead during a 10-3 sequence. Galuppo answered a 3-pointer from IMG’s Terrence Shannon Jr. by sticking a contested trey and absorbing the hit, setting up his second four-point play of the afternoon.
“I missed my first 3-pointers of the game and coach Chaney told me to just keep shooting,” said Galuppo. “I knew they would eventually come.”
An emotional scene unfolded with 9:16 remaining in the second half. Shannon Jr., a highly touted high major prospect out of Chicago, was writhing in pain after a nasty spill.
The game stopped for several moments before Shannon Jr. was taken off the court by a swarm of teammates and tended to by a trainer. Having tweaked his knee, Shannon Jr. was limping out of gym. No injury report had been made.
Showman-like, boisterous, and relentless, Galuppo hit a transition 3-pointer that swelled the spread to 58-33.
He later drew a foul on a 3-point attempt and hit 2-of-3 from the line. Nicholas and Nadolny continued to exemplify one of the best rebounding backcourts on the prep circuit, scouring the glass throughout.
