Delaware Blue Coats Score a Season-High in Their 146-111 Victory Over the Westchester Knicks

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Braxton Key driving to the basket. Key would score a game-high 26 points on Saturday night in the Blue Coats victory over the Knicks. Saturday, March 5, 2022. - Staff Photographer / Joey Nicolo

Over the weekend, the Chase Fieldhouse served as the site of destruction for the Westchester Knicks, which came at the hands of Delaware’s very own Blue Coats.

The Coats went on to defeat the Knicks 146-111 in an affair that never had the chance to become competitive.

The first meeting of these two teams for the season after previously meeting on Feb. 1. After losing by ten points to the Knicks in that game, the Blue Coats were ready to bounce back have their revenge this time around. 

“We really focused on us,” Blue Coats’ forward Braxton Key said. “We watched film and came out with a little more focus, intensity and energy. Being at home, we wanted to get the win after having them beat us last time.”

That is exactly what Key’s team did, as Delaware came out and ended the first quarter with a 14-point lead. Key himself posted 15 of his 26 total points in the first quarter alone, propelling the Blue Coats to an advantage that they would only build from there. By halftime, they were up 76-56. 

In the second half, the Blue Coats did much of the same thing. While the Knicks focused on slowing down Braxton Key after his strong start, his teammates took control of the game.

Charlie Brown Jr. was the face of the third quarter, as he scored 20 points in that timeframe and ended the game with 24. In the fourth, Jared Brownridge shot lights out from beyond the three-point line with six threes in the quarter. He ended the game tied with Key for a team-high 26 points.

Four other players scored double-digits for Delaware, including former Knick’s player Myles Powell. He scored 15 points against Westchester in this game and has averaged 21.5 points in the two games against his former team since being released by them earlier this year. 

Collectively, the Blue Coats’ 146 point total was the most that they have had in a single game this season. The team also recorded a 201-efficiency rating, breaking the franchise record that previously stood at 187 since 2015.

From the players’ perspective, the success in this game was a result of the collective effort and focus that they have been working on.

“We are sticking with what we always want to stick with, which is defense,” Blue Coats’ guard Demarcus Holland said. “We got out and were running in transition, which limited their easy points. We also made sure we took care of rebounding, which we did today so we could run out and make some easy baskets.”

The defense that Holland stressed certainly led to offense against the Knicks, as the Blue Coats had 22 steals that led to 16 fastbreak points. They only registered four blocked shots on the night, but still outscored Westchester 62-48 from points within the paint.

Delaware will continue their revenge tour in Florida this week as they take on the Lakeland Magic in a two-game series. The last time the Blue Coats faced the Magic was in the NBA G League championship last season, which the Magic won 97-78.

However, the Blue Coats are hot right now and are finding their identity. 

“It’s that time of the year when teams are starting to gel a little better,” Holland said. “I think that’s what is happening to us.”

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