DECEMBER 25, 2016
KING'S MEN'S BASKETBALL SET FOR CROSS COUNTY CHALLENGE
WILKES-BARRE -- After a brief break for Thanksgiving, the King's College men's basketball team will return to the court Saturday and Sunday for the sixth annual Cross County Challenge. This season's event will be hosted at the Wilkes University Marts Center.
The event will feature Luzerne County colleges King's and Wilkes squaring off against nearby Lackawanna County collegiate rivals Marywood University and the University of Scranton in a round-robin format.
On Saturday, King's (3-1) will face Scranton (3-0) at 1:00 PM while Wilkes (3-1) meets Marywood (0-3) at 3:00 PM. On Sunday, King's squares off with Marywood at 1:00 PM before Wilkes plays Scranton at 3:00 PM. In the previous five years of the event, Scranton has yet to lose, going 10-0 in the process.
Fans unable to attend can follow the games online. All games can be viewed on Live Video at: http://www.gowilkesu.com/sports/2015/7/31/GEN_0731155646.aspx
LiveStats for all games are at: http://www.sidearmstats.com/wilkes/mbball/
King's enters the event coming off a solid 99-80 victory over Drew University Tuesday night. The Monarchs have a varied blend of veteran players and newcomers who appear to be on the cusp of gelling. Four of the Monarchs' top five scorers are returning players while seven new players are seeing significant playing time.
Leading the way for King's is senior forward Dan Rutecki, who tops the squad in scoring (13.0 ppg), rebounds (7.3) and assists (14). Junior point-guard Connor Callejas, a transfer from Marywood, follows with 12.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and a team-high 11 three-pointers. Sophomore guard-forward Jake Barber adds 11.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, and nine rebounds while senior guard John Fazzini contributes 11.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, and nine three-pointers. Junior forward Chris Fazzini chips in with 8.0 points and 3.5 rebounds.
Freshman guard Tyler Millan posts 6.8 points while six-foot-eight rookie center Andrew Hudak nets 6/5 points and 4.8 boards. King's averages 81.5 points while yielding 71.5.
For Scranton, junior guard Ethan Danzig averages 19.3 points and 4.3 rebounds with 12 three-pointers. Six-foot-nine center John Vitkus follows with 15.0 points and 11.3 rebounds, while junior guard Kevin Doolan adds 11.3 points and 2.7 rebounds.
Marywood is led by sophomore forward Connor Shroyer averages 20.0 points and 5.0 rebounds. Sophomore forward Jeremy Ringland follows with 12.0 points and 5.7 rebounds while junior guard James Curley adds 11.3 points and 4.0 boards.
For Wilkes, sophomore guard Marcus Robinson averages 18.3 points and 3.8 rebounds, while making 17 three-pointers. Sophomore guard Connor Evans follows with 14.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and eight three-pointers while sophomore forward Tommy Bowen chips in with 10.3 points and 5.0 rebounds.
