Kings crush Royals; name Mills coach
- Updated: February 25, 2020
2020 SAN DIEGO KINGS BASKETBALL
KINGS 140, ROYALS 65
By Damon Sloan
Special to EastCountySports.com
EL CAJON – The San Diego Kings rolled into the playoffs by winning their season finale in a landslide, 140-65, over the Las Vegas Royals.
The Kings took control of the ballgame early, putting up a season-high 43 first-quarter points. They can thank a large part of that to their captain, Manny Perez who scored 30 points for the night, 15 of them were in the first.
“This win was huge coming off of back-to-back losses in Nor-Cal,” said Perez. “It’s great having winning momentum on our side going into the playoffs, we have a versatile team that has scoring ability to win an ABA title for sure. We just have to improve our defense and the sky is the limit.”
Perez also mentioned that the depth of the Kings will also play a big factor in the playoffs.
“Having guys step up off the bench is so encouraging,” added Perez. “Our depth will be key going into the postseason, our squad is dangerous because anyone from our first or second unit can come in and score.”
The Kings had control of the game throughout the contest as they were able to force a lot of turnovers on the Royals. Las Vegas was unable to find their rhythm at any point in the game and the Kings were able to capitalize by getting extra possessions to score off turnovers.
Alec Calloway had his best scoring game of the season with 20 points, including three three-pointers in three straight possessions in the second quarter. Calloway also added three assists and proved that he can be a reliable facilitator when prompted.
“It was a ton of fun tonight, Calloway said post-game. My teammates did a great job of getting me open with off-ball screens and I just found it from there.
The Kings were able to re-sign Marcus Bell, who signed with Petroleros de Camargo out of the Mexican Basketball League. Bell didn’t miss a beat, put in a double-double with 17 points and 11 Rebounds.
Julian Sampah continued his strong play with 13 Points and finished some great dunks in transition. Davion-Cole Johnson added 11 points and continues to show his versatility, being a slasher and a shot creator when he needs to be.
The Kings were ranked third in the Far West Region after last week’s two losses in Northern California. But after a win tonight, the San Diego Kings should have home-court advantage in the first round based on rankings.
The Kings have continued to add talent to the roster to build for this championship run.
Spencer Mattox, BJ Mathews, and Davion-Cole Johnson have been instrumental in helping the Kings play this well. Add in the shooting of Manny Perez, Deonte Jones, and Co. This team is one to watch and now that they are in the playoffs with a top seed, expect the San Diego Kings to go for their throne this postseason.
ABA Playoffs begin March 14. Make sure to follow the Kings on Social Media and visit https://www.sdkingsbasketball.com/ to get the latest news and information on the upcoming playoff schedule.
