With absolutely no losses at home, the Bruins could be considered hometown heroes, as they cruise to their 7th home victory against the Snow College Badgers.
“The attendance this year has been much better than last year so far, and as a fan you’re getting more into the game,” says Salt Lake Community College Black Student Union Vice President Koyum Koyum.
On Jan. 18, SLCC walked into a shooting fest with the Badgers early on in the game, however, ended up completely out-shooting them by the end of the bout with a 20-point lead, with score 87-67.
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“The fans are a big for us at all the home games because I truly feel like we feed off their energy each home game,” says shooting guard De’sean Parsons.
Gary Payton II (11) came out and established his presence, an ability to do it all as he catches the ball in the post and converts the first two points of the game.
Payton finished with an incredible 29 points and added three rebounds, five assists and four steals.
“I was being aggressive and looking for shots,” says Payton.
Payton and Jackson have become quite the dynamic duo, as Payton uses his athleticism to impact the game in as many ways as he can, while Jackson shoots the ball like a sniper specialist.
Mid-way in the first half, shooting guard Jaden Jackson finds Payton and throws a lob in which Payton catches it and tears the rim down. Then could be heard “oohs” and “aahs” throughout the entire gym.
“Energy like that is contagious not just for me but the whole team,” says Jackson.
Jackson ended up being the player of the game due to his extreme sharp shooting from the three-point line shooting 5-8 from behind the arch.
Following the alley-oop, forward Kurtis Toolson throws down a dunk with a smile. The Bruins look like they were having fun at this point.
With six minutes left on the clock in the first half, shooting guard De’sean Parsons comes down the floor and stutter steps his opponent, then hits a pull-up jumper.
Putting the Bruins up 34-17, Parsons finished with 15 points and five assists.
Parsons is just a freshman, but plays a very strong role on his team when it comes to scoring.
“I fully embrace the role. I’m excited to be in the role as a freshman on the team – not a lot of young players are able to have major roles on a team their freshman year like I have right now,” says Parsons. “I’m thankful for my coaches and teammates for letting me have such a big role on the team this year.”
To cap the first-half off in enjoyable excitement, Jackson gets the ball and hits a leaning fade away mid-range jump shot buzzer beater that set the gymnasium into a type of mania.
Although the Bruins were controlling most of the game, they did become sloppy for a brief moment toward the end of the game around the five-minute mark.
Snow College guard Lawrence Pierce (21) did all he could for his team to come back as he continued to attack the basket strong. The score at this point was 73-66 because the badgers wanted to fight until the end.
Unfortunately, their efforts were to no avail as center Neil Monson gets to the free throw line and hits two free throws putting SLCC 75-67. That slowed the game down and allowed SLCC to re-gain a strong cushion and finish with a 20-point deficit.
Next up: the Bruins face rival Northern Idaho College at home Jan. 23, with tip off at 7:30 p.m.
