McKinney Nets 38, Eagles Top Potosi

Cody McKinney was double teamed, triple teamed and at one point quadruple teamed, but he still managed to score 38 points on Tuesday and led Sullivan past Potosi 74-63 in the first round of the FCNB Bank It Challenge.

The Eagles (2-0) advanced to play No. 2 seed Waynesville on Thursday.

After scoring 78 against Cuba eight days earlier, Tuesday’s effort gave the Eagles 70-plus point back-to-back games for the first time since February 10-13, 2017 against St. James and Park Hills Central.

The offensive binge helped Sullivan keep the pace ahead of a Potosi team that continuously pulled within single digits, but were unable to make enough stops on the defensive end.

McKinney fueled an early charge with four 3’s in the first quarter and he finished 6-10 beyond the arc. 

Sullivan sprinted to a 22-10 lead with 3:15 to play on a 3-pointer by Austin Lewis. 

Potosi guard Noah Jacobsen, who tallied 30 points, scored on a fastbreak and a drive with just under two minutes left in the period. A putback from Cameron Cunningham and a 3 from the wing by Josh Wiese established a 27-14 lead after one quarter.

From the high post, Lewis found McKinney cutting baseline for an easy basket. Wiese banked an inside shot to give Sullivan a 31-18 lead with 4:51 remaining. 

Jacobsen and Zach Haynes combined to narrow Potosi’s deficit to nine before Landon Hoffman swished a 3, Sullivan’s first basket in a two-minute span. 

The Trojans would get back within nine until Cunningham sank one of two free throws with 1:43 to go. 

Hoffman drew a charge nine seconds later, flipping momentum back to Sullivan. McKinney collected a defensive rebound and found Cunningham on a run out. Cunningham had a chance for the three-point play, but missed the free throw. McKinney stepped in front of Jacobsen to corral the offensive rebound. He dribbled to the corner where he splashed a 3 to make it 40-25. His two free throws with 14 seconds left gave the Eagles a 42-27 lead at the break.

McKinney scored on the opening possession of the second half, but the Trojans put together a modest 7-0 run. Potosi would again get within nine on a layup by Jacobsen, only to have McKinney restore a double-digit advantage. He was fouled by  Zach Haynes on a 3-point attempt with 3:44 to go and converted all three. Haynes left the game with four fouls.

Hoffman hit his second of three triples to push Sullivan’s lead to 53-36. The Eagles’ lead yo-yoed between 15 and 17 points over the final two minutes. Potosi trimmed it to 13 with 15 seconds left. On the last possession of the period, McKinney passed to Hoffman, who passed back to McKinney for a 3 at the buzzer. Sullivan led 58-42.

Early in the fourth quarter, Austin Frye poked the ball from behind on an inbound pass, took possession and was fouled. He converted a pair of free throws for a 62-44 lead.

Potosi climbed back within nine with 4:23, thanks to an 8-0 run. McKinney pushed the lead to 11, then Cunningham made it 70-57 with 2:48 left. McKinney ended the night with four straight free throws. He was 12-14 from the line and Sullivan shot 18-24 (75 percent) overall.

Cunningham and Hoffman each had 11 points, with Hoffman contributing three treys to Sullivan’s 12. 

Frye chipped in with six points, Wise added five and Lewis three. 

Sullivan Independent News

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