The San Quentin Kings defeated two visiting teams on consecutive weekends, taking the Bittermen, 69-60, and the Trailblazers, 78-66, in overtime.
In the Sept. 12 game, Marvin Cosby and Charles “Pookie” Sylvester of the Kings basketball team helped hold off the Bittermen for the victory.
“They all played good; we just had more buckets,” said Sylvester.
The Bittermen had a one-point lead until Sylvester got hot in the first half. He came off the bench and scored nine straight points, including the completion a four-point play that developed from being fouled while making a three-pointer.
“Pookie, don’t you ever play like that again,” joked Bittermen player/coach Ted Saltveit.
It was the first game after coming off Legionnaires’ disease lockdown. Kings captain Brain Asey welcomed the Bittermen and thanked them for coming.
“This is our visit,” he told them during a half-court huddle with both teams for pre-game greetings.
“I felt good. Sometimes we need a break. The rest probably made my game better,” said Sylvester.
He went for 16 points.
Cosby led the Kings with 23 points.
The Bittermen made a few comeback attempts, coming within four led by Ryan Williams. He had his best game since coming into San Quentin, with 23 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and a block.
“I’ve been training for this day my whole life,” joked Ryan Williams. “We had a change in the cast of characters and this squad clicked for me.”
His teammate, John Taylor, logged eight assists to help. In the second half, Taylor hit Williams with a no-look pass for a layup in traffic.
Meanwhile, Bittermen Aidan Coffino had his worst game since coming into San Quentin. Coffino went three for 16 from the field, finishing with eight points, three rebounds and an assist.
“I was on fire in the warm-ups. It felt good until they put a defender on me,” said Coffino.
Despite missing 11 three-point attempts, he made a tough no-look layup from under the basket.
The Bittermen played the Sept. 12 game without their tough point guard, Tim Hall, or their former semi-pro player, Will Wheatly.
Neither Kings forward Thad Fleeton nor center J. “Mailman” Ratchford played in the game. Demond Lewis grabbed 13 boards and scored 11 points.
Kings Coach Orlando Harris said his team won because, “They stayed focused.”
In the Sept. 19 game that went into overtime, Ryan Williams topped his 23-point performance the week before by scoring 26 when he returned to San Quentin with the Trailblazers for a rematch.
“I should have had 28, and then it would have been over in regulation,” said Ryan Williams.
With 23 seconds on the clock, the Trailblazers were up one with Brandon Hargrave at the free-throw line. He made one of two, giving his team a 61-59 lead.
“I can’t keep splitting free throws,” Hargrave said. He made seven out of 16 and scored 11 points with five rebounds, three assists and five steals. New Trailblazer recruit Antwain Capla added nine with eight rebounds and two blocks.
There were eight seconds left in the fourth quarter and the Kings had the ball, down 61-59. Aubra-Lamont “Coocoo” McNeely fired off a three-pointer that clanked off the rim into the hands of teammate Lewis at the top of the key. He passed the ball inside to Sylvester, who made the game-tying layup with one second left to play.
In overtime, the Kings pulled away as the Trailblazers struggled to score.
Lewis finished with 10 points, Thad Fleeton 15, Oris “Pep” Williams 13, Sylvester 11 and Marvin Cosby, 10.
“We won because we didn’t stop playing—grind, grind, grind,” said Kings Coach Harris.
Pre-game, referee Cory Woods gave an inspiration talk about how things happen for the best in God’s time.
Woods said, “When things go wrong in our lives, we blame the first person we are suppose to rely on – God. That’s how I felt when the governor took back my parole date. However, I learned so much more about myself in the year since and everything is coming together. Things happen in God’s time, not ours.”
Capla, who coaches kids in basketball, said, “It’s a beautiful experience coming in to play here. These brothers are doing everything they can to keep themselves doing something positive.”
