That was one helluva victory by our Billikids against the Richmond Spiders.
Richmond is very good, folks. They will contend for the league title. And to beat them without the services of Willie Reed was very big indeed. The kids battled through the rough stretches and survived being outsized and clobbered on the boards, as well as their outstanding pair of guards to bring home an important victory on Saturday.
I thought the most important part of the game came at the beginning when Brian Conklin opened up with his 10-point flurry. It was a big statement and an excellent display of leadership by BC.
Of his 10 first-half points, he got eight of them right off the bat and showed great emotion after a three-point play. It was as if he was saying, "I know we're playing a top team and we don't have our big man, but we're still here to win the game and protect our home court. Are you guys with me? There will be no Mo State repeat tonight." I loved it. I think the rest of the guys fed off of that as well.
At that point, I was convinced that we had a legitimate chance to win this game, even without Willie. I was not so sure before the game, but BC got me lathered up and ready to go in the first few minutes. It was BC's best offensive outburst since the games in Chicago over a month ago. I think it caught Richmond a little off-guard as well.
Cody was really good in his first game as a Billiken. He was really more than good when you consider he was playing with less than a week of practice after being on a plane for nearly 30 hours. To basically parachute into a heated conference battle and give us 10 points, five rebounds, three assists in 23 minutes was top-notch.
I hope fans continue to remain patient with Cody this year. There are going to be some rough patches as he tries to find his way. But as I said before, the Billikens are a much better basketball team with Cody Ellis. Not only does he have a big body and a versatile skill set, but he has the ability to make his teammates better.
I was most excited about his ability to pass. He fed Jon Smith with a nice high-low feed for a bucket. He also had a nice sit-down bounce pass through traffic off the dribble. I think we all got a little taste of what Cody will bring to this program for the future. The shots will eventually fall because he is a shooter. I wasn't expecting him to light it up because it will take time for him to get his basketball legs. He is a big piece of the puzzle for what Rick and the coaching staff wants to do.
If you recall, the pivotal play of the game with the score tied at 58-58 with 40 seconds play was run for him. He was fouled on the 3-pointer and converted two of the free throws to give us the lead to stay.
Of course, Kwamain was clutch again with 16 points, with seven of them in the second half. His step-back 15 footer on the baseline late in the game was Larry Hughes-esque. Kwamain has really put a lot of work in on his mid-range game and that is going to serve him well as teams will continue to play his penetration to the basket. He also took turns guarding Kevin Anderson and David Gonzalvez. For my money, KM is the best PG in the A-10. It's a big statement, but I'll ride or die with the little fella at the controls.
What was good about this win is that everyone gave us something over the course of the game. Femi John had an important six-point run in the second half with a 3-pointer and three free throws. Kyle hit a big 3 from the baseline in the second half and handled the ball well against their press.
Cory Remekun gave us a couple of buckets (including a 15-footer) and blocked a couple of shots. Jon Smith scored on a nice high-low feed from Cody. Justin Jordan got a big bucket and spent much of the game guarding Anderson, who is one of the best in the league. It was a huge job for Justin, who is still learning how to play consistent defense at this level. Christian gave us some big free throws to help seal the deal.
It was a fun day at the Chaifetz and an important must-win because we only have two home games in the month on January. We really needed this one and we got it.
Now, we face another big road challenge in Duquesne. The Dukes have lost two tough A-10 games to Richmond and Dayton (OT loss in Dayton), so they will be a little saltly on Wednesday night in Pittsburgh.
After preparing for Richmond's precise Princeton offense for a week, it's now time to get ready for Duquesne's pedal-to-the-metal 94 feet of pressure defense.
Talk to you soon.
Go Bills!
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