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Rebels’ season ends with playoff loss to Patroons

Published By: Doug Gilghrist

The Reading Rebels’ 2023 season came to a conclusion on Tuesday evening, as they were
defeated by the Albany Patroons in the first round of the Northeast playoffs by a score of 111-
96 at the Washington Avenue Armory.

After opening the game with an early lead, the third-seeded Rebels were no match for the
second-seeded Patroons, who held the lead for nearly the final 42 minutes of the game.
Anthony Lee scored seven of Reading’s first nine points of the game over the first four minutes
to give the Rebels a 9-4 lead, which was the largest lead for Reading in the game. Albany scored
the next nine points of the game to take a 13-9 lead, which the Patroons would never
relinquish.

The Rebels would cut the lead to one point at 13-12, but Albany ended the first quarter with a
13-6 run to take a 26-18 lead heading into the second quarter. Lee scored 13 of Reading’s 18
points in the quarter, while Shadell Millinghaus paced the Patroons with seven first-quarter
points.

Albany scored the first two points of the second quarter before the Rebels scored the next
seven points, five of which were by Evan Hinson, to cut the lead to three points. The Patroons
slowly pulled away after that, increasing the lead to 15 points by halftime, 51-36. Hinson scored
seven points in the quarter.

The second half didn’t get any better for Reading, as the Rebels never got closer than 13 points
the rest of the way. Albany outscored Reading 27-23 in the third quarter to take a 78-59 lead at
the end of three quarters, before the Rebels won the fourth quarter 37-33 to close the final
margin to 15 points.

Lee, who played 45 of the 48 minutes in the game, led Reading with a game-high 27 points,
while Aquille Carr chipped in with 25 points. Hinson finished the game with a season-high 12
points, while Richard McCalop added 10 points in the loss. The Rebels shot 40.2% from the
floor, 37.5% from three-point range and 63.6% from the foul line.

Arsenio Arrington led the way for the Patroons with 26 points, while Trevis Wyche and
Millinghaus scored 23 and 15 points, respectively, for Albany. The Patroons shot 45.5% from
the floor, 20.0% from three-point range and 81.0% from the foul line. Albany won the
rebounding battle 64-51.

Reading finished the season with a 17-8 record overall, including the playoffs, and third place in
the Northeast Division. Carr led the team in scoring this season with an average of 18.7 points
per game, while Emmanuel Egbuta averaged 17.8 points per game. The Rebels had seven
players who averaged over 10 points per game this season. Egbuta nearly averaged a double-
double this season, as he led the way with 9.1 rebounds per game, while Carr was the leading
assist man, averaging 6.2 assists per game. Five players shot over 50% from the floor this
season for Reading, led by James Butler, who shot 56.6%. Tarojae Brake led the way from
downtown, as he shot 40.0% from beyond the arc this season, while Lee was the leader from
the foul line, making 80.4% of his free throws.

GAME DAY REPORT 4/13

Published By: Seth Klein

The Rebels (7-2) return to Alvernia University this Thursday, April 13th for their second of five matchups
this season against the Virginia Valley Vipers (3-7). Tipoff is slated for 7pm. Reading looks to stay red
hot following All-Star Weekend as they are winners of six-in-a-row. Virginia Valley looks to build some
level of consistency in the latter half of the season, traveling to Reading, PA this week having won three
of their last five.
The Rebels and Vipers last met in mid-March, when the Rebels outscored the Vipers by 15 points on their
way to a 118-103 victory. The Rebels were fueled by 2023 All-Star Aquille Carr’s 25 points and five
assists. Myles Lewis added 21 points and eight rebounds while 2023 Slam-Dunk Contest winner,
Emmanuel Egbuta, recorded 16 points and fifteen rebounds. The Rebels finished with six players in
double figures.
The Vipers are led by Chris Chaney, who is averaging 14.8 points per game through ten contests this
season. Virginia Valley currently sits in seventh place in the Northeast Division, four spots behind the
Rebels.
Eleven days have passed since the Rebels last took the court. Prior to All-Star Weekend, the Rebels
tallied their seventh win and sixth-in-a-row with a 118-86 victory over the Lehigh Valley Legends. 2023
Slam-Dunk Contest participant, Richard McCalop, poured in 39 points in 29 minutes. Fellow Slam-Dunk
Contest participant, Emmanuel Egbuta, added 12 points and ten rebounds to the win. The Rebels and
Legends finish their season series tied at one-game each.
For the second season in a row, the Rebels are Slam-Dunk Contest Champions. Richard McCalop, the
2022 winner, passed his crown to former Tennessee State Tiger and Rebels’ swingman, Emmanuel
Egbuta. Egbuta is having a stellar first season with Reading, averaging 17.0 points per game along with
his team-leading 8.8 rebounds per game.
The Rebels’ first game following All-Star break is one of three in a four-day stretch. Following their
home contest against the Virginia Valley Vipers, the Rebels travel to Syracuse, NY to face-off against the
Syracuse Stallions on Friday, April 14th. The Rebels will have a one day break before traveling to York,
PA for a mid-afternoon matchup with the York Mighty Ants on Sunday, April 16th.
Last Game’s Top Performances:
● Richard McCalop: 39 points, seven rebounds
● Myles Lewis: 14 points, six rebounds
● Emmanuel Egbuta: 12 points, ten rebounds
● James Butler: 11 points, six rebounds

All-Star Weekend April 7th and 8th

All-Star Weekend – Friday, April 7th and Saturday, April 8th
The Lehigh Valley Legends and Lafayette College play host to The Basketball League’s 2023 All-Star
Weekend starting Friday, April 7th and concluding Saturday, April 8th. The two-day event will take place
at the end of the week, with Friday focusing on the 3-Point Contest and the Slam Dunk Contest. Saturday
is reserved for the Junior TBL Clinic, the Celebrity Game, Player Meet and Greet, and All-Star Game.
The clash of conferences comes to Easton, PA to showcase the best players from forty-nine teams across
the league.
The Reading Rebels will have four participants in this weekend’s events. Aquille Carr will be playing in
Saturday evening’s All-Star Game as a member of Team Blake, which consists of players from both the
Eastern and Western Conferences. Playing opposite of Team Blake will be Team Grant, which boasts
players from the Midwest and Central Conferences. Anthony Lee will bring his deep-threat ability to the
3-Point Contest Friday night, while both Richard McCalop and Emmanuel Egbuta will participate for the
Rebels in the Slam Dunk Contest shortly after.
Aquille Carr is having another stellar season in 2023, leading the Rebels in scoring with 17.1 points per
game and assists with 4.9 per game. Carr is also shooting 73.7% from the free-throw line. Behind him are
fellow All-Star Weekend participants Emmanuel Egbuta (17.0 points per game) and Richard McCalop
(16.9 points per game). Anthony Lee joins the 3-Point Contest, bringing his 43.2% from deep to Easton.
Richard McCalop enters All-Star Weekend following a dazzling performance, where he posted 39 points
and several highlight worthy plays in 29 minutes in the Rebels’ 118-86 victory over the Lehigh Valley
Legends on Sunday, April 2nd. Emmanuel Egbuta notched his fourth double-double of the season, adding
12 points and ten rebounds to the win. Myles Lewis scored 14 points in 21 minutes and Aquille Carr
finished with 9 points and nine assists. The Rebels and Legends finish their season series tied at one-game
each.
The Rebels (7-2) return to action following All-Star Weekend on Thursday, April 13th at Alvernia
University against the Virginia Valley Vipers (3-7). The Rebels have won six-in-a-row. Tip-off is slated
for 7pm.

All-Star Weekend Schedule (Friday):
● Opening Ceremony – 5pm
● 3-Point Contest – 5:40pm
● Slam Dunk Contest – 6:35pm
All-Star Weekend Schedule (Saturday):
● Junior TBL Clinic – 11:00am
● Celebrity All-Star Game – 2:30pm
● Player Meet and Greet: 4:00pm
● Pre-Game Show – 5:00pm
● All-Star Tip Off – 5:30pm
Location: Kirby Sports Center @ Lafayette College – 700 W Pierce Street, Easton, PA 18402

The event will be live-streamed on TBLtv.tv

Rebels defeat shorthanded Mighty Ants to win third straight

Aquille Carr walks the ball up the floor.

The Reading Rebels ran their winning streak to three games on Friday evening, as they defeated
the York Mighty Ants by a score of 121-106, the second time the Rebels have defeated the
Mighty Ants by double digits this season.

York entered Friday’s contest without two key members of its team, Jahaad Proctor and
leading-scorer Melik Martin. Their absences were felt in a big way, especially early on, as the
Rebels limited the Mighty Ants to just 42 points in the first half. Reading, by contrast, came out
of the gates fast, racing to an 18-point halftime lead, 60-42.

As they have shown for the majority of the season, the Rebels got contributions by every
member of the roster on Friday night. All 12 players on the team scored, while eight players
scored at least seven points. Reading’s balanced attack led to its offense scoring at least 27
points in every quarter.

The Rebels got off to a hot start in the first quarter, scoring 33 points, jumping out to a 33-23
lead at the end of the quarter. Aquille Carr, who scored a game-high 22 points, led the charge in
the opening quarter, scoring seven points. Myles Lewis and Marquis Marshall chipped in with
six points apiece in the first quarter. Jahaire Wilson and Dylan Crane scored eight and six points,
respectively, for the Mighty Ants to keep them within striking distance.

Richard McCalop puts down a reverse dunk on a fast break

Reading took control of the game in the second quarter, outscoring York 27-19, as the Mighty
Ants struggled from the foul line. York connected on just two of their 10 foul shots in the
second quarter, and were 11-33 (33.3%) from the charity stripe in the game. The Rebels held
Crane and Wilson scoreless in the quarter, while Reading’s Tarojae Brake scored six of his 15
points in the second quarter

York, trailing by 18 points at the beginning of the second half, came out of intermission on fire.
The Mighty Ants scored 40 points in the third quarter, which included a 17-2 run late in the
quarter to cut the Rebels’ lead to 89-82. They could get no closer, however. Michael Coleman
gave York a boost, scoring 14 straight points at one point, as he hit four three-pointers, while

the team made seven shots from beyond the arc in the third quarter. Coleman ended the game
with 18 points.

Reading answered York’s run with a big run of its own to put the game away. The Rebels scored
the final two points of the third quarter and the first 12 points of the fourth quarter to take an
insurmountable 103-82 lead. Carr and James Butler scored seven points apiece in the final
quarter, as Reading outscored the Mighty Ants 30-24.

Joining Carr and Brake in double digits for the Rebels were Myles Lewis (17 points), Richard
McCalop (15 points) and Emmanuel Egbuta (14 points). Reading was 26-37 (70.3%) from the
foul line for the game. Crane paced York with 22 points.

The Rebels (4-2) will take a week off before hosting the Montreal Toundra (2-4) on Friday,
March 31 at Alvernia University at 7 p.m.

Rebels win second straight with rout of Academie Alma

Tarojae Brake running the offense

PHOTO CREDITS: Bomaly Castamby

Published By: Doug Gilghrist

The Reading Rebels shook off a sluggish start on Sunday afternoon, and withstood an incredible
second half performance from Lansana Nwosu, before cruising to a 117-95 win over Academie
Alma at Alvernia University.

The Rebels, playing less than 19 hours after their game in Virginia ended on Saturday evening,
scored just 12 points in the first nine minutes of the game, as they trailed 15-12. However, a
basket by Myles Lewis and a three-pointer by Anthony Lee gave Reading a 17-15 lead, one
which they would never relinquish. Lewis, coming off a 21-point performance on Saturday,
scored six of his team-leading 26 points in the quarter. The Rebels closed the first quarter with
an 11-2 run to take a 23-17 lead at the end of one quarter.

“The first three games, I was just mentally checked out,” Lewis said about his slow start to the
season. “I got in the gym the past week and got after it, and came ready to play for yesterday
(Saturday) and today’s (Sunday) game. It’s just a difference in mentality.”

Reading got things going offensively in the second quarter, as Emmanuel Egbuta scored eight
points to lead the Rebels to a 31-point quarter to help extend the lead to 14 points, 54-40, at
halftime. Egbuta brought some enthusiasm to the team and the crowd as he had a tomahawk
dunk early in the quarter. Egbuta ended the game with 14 points, 12 of which were scored in
the first half.

Reading opened a 15-point lead early in the third quarter before Nwosu took over for Academie
Alma. With the Rebels leading 60-45, Alma went on a 17-4 run to close the gap to 64-62, with
Nwosu scoring 11 of the 17 points. Nwosu scored a total of 19 points in the quarter. Academie
outscored Reading 31-25 in the third to end the quarter trailing the Rebels by a score of 79-71.
Lewis scored nearly half of Reading’s 25 points in the third quarter, pumping in 12 points to
lead the Rebels in the quarter.

“I thought our guys came out with that defensive energy, especially in the second half,” head
coach Joe Linderman said after the game. “The nice thing about our team is that we have 12

guys that can play on any team in this league. Having that depth, some of our starters it wasn’t
their night, and we had guys that came off the bench and gave us that spark.”

Reading opened the fourth quarter with a 20-4 run to end any thoughts that Alma had at a
comeback. The Rebels scored 38 points in the fourth quarter to run away with the victory.
Marquis Marshall hit three three-pointers for nine points, while Lewis added eight fourth-
quarter points. Nwosu paced Academie with 11 points in the quarter to end the game with a
game-high 39 points.

Joining Lewis and Egbuta in double figures for Reading was Lee with 13 points, while Richard
McCalop and Aquille Carr chipped in with 11 points apiece. The Rebels shot 45.4% from the
floor and 32.0% from three-point range. They were also 21-33 (63.6%) from the foul line.

Marc-Andre Fortin (24 points) and Mason Cumming (12 points) joined Nwosu in double figures
for Academie, who shot 45.6% from the floor, 25.3% from three-point range, and 45.7% (16-35)
from the foul line. They turned the ball over 25 times in the game.

Reading will go on the road on Friday, March 24 to take on the York Mighty Ants. The Rebels
defeated the Mighty Ants by a score of 121-94 in their season opener.

Rebels keep Vipers winless in 15-point win

Rebels Huddle up as they close out their first road win

The Reading Rebels (2-2) evened their season record on Saturday evening, defeating the
Virginia Valley Vipers (0-6) by a score of 118-103 at Shenandoah University, denying the Vipers
their first win of the season.

The Rebels came out on fire on Saturday evening, making their first seven field goal attempts
from two-point range on their way to a 27-20 lead at the end of the first quarter. Reading’s first
miss from within the three-point arc came at the 6:18 mark of quarter number one. By that
time, the Rebels had raced out to a 15-10 lead over the Vipers. They would extend the lead to
as many as 10 points twice during the opening stanza, as Reading outshot Virginia Valley 60%-
36.4% in the first quarter. The Rebels were a sizzling 11-14 (78.6%) from two-point range during
the first 12 minutes of the game, led by Maurice Henry’s eight first-quarter points.

Reading’s offense didn’t miss a beat in the second quarter, as the Rebels made 11 of their 14
shots overall, outscoring the Vipers 35-32 in the quarter. The score could have been much
worse, but the Rebels were just 11-17 (64.7%) from the foul line. This would be a sign of things
to come, as Reading would go to the charity stripe a total of 47 times, making 28 (59.6%) foul
shots. Virginia Valley, on the other hand was 18-28 (64.3%) from the foul line for the game. The
Rebels took a 62-52 lead into halftime, as the Vipers remained as close as they were due to
their balanced scoring. Ten players scored between two and five points for Virginia Valley in the
second quarter alone.

The second half belonged to Reading’s Aquille Carr and Myles Lewis. The duo combined for 27
of the Rebels’ 56 second-half points. While the Vipers held Reading’s top two scorers
(Emmanuel Egbuta and Richard McCalop) to below their season averages, Carr scored a game-
high 25 points to lead the Rebels. Carr came into the game averaging 17 points per game.
Lewis, on the other hand, chipped in with 21 points, after scoring a total of 17 points in the first
three games of the season.

Reading, who trailed for a total of 20 seconds in the game, outscored Virginia Valley 56-51 in
the second half to extend the 10-point halftime margin to the final margin of 15 points. Six
players for each team scored in double figures in the game. Joining Carr and Lewis for the
Rebels was Egbuta (16), McCalop (14), Tarojae Brake (12) and Henry (10). Reading shot 52.8%

from the floor in the game and 33.3% from three-point range. The Rebels outrebounded the
Vipers 61-41.

Marlon Parker Jr. paced the Vipers with 16 points, while Rze Culbreath had 14 points and Chris
Chaney and Kameron Cooper scored 13 points apiece. Dhonte Ford and Justin Brown had 11
and 10 points, respectively, for Virginia Valley. The Vipers shot 44.0% from the floor and 33.3%
from beyond the arc in the game.

Reading has a short turn around, as they return home to face the Academie Alma (0-3) at 4 p.m.
on Sunday, Match 19.

Rebels’ comeback bid falls short against Lehigh Valley

Aron Nwankwo finishes a layup from a full court assist by Aquille Carr.

Photo Credits: BILL SNOOK PHOTOGRAPHY

Published By: Doug Gilghrist

The Reading Rebels fought back from a 17-point, third-quarter deficit to take a two-point lead
in the waning moments of the fourth quarter, but ultimately come out on the short end of a
107-104 decision to the Lehigh Valley Legends on Saturday evening.

Trailing Lehigh Valley by two points with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter,
the Rebels got back-to-back baskets from Aquille Carr to take their first, and only, lead of the
second half at 99-97. Ten seconds later, with 0:57 remaining in the game, Lehigh Valley’s
Mansfield Warren made his first field goal since the first quarter to give the Legends the lead
again at 100-99.

Lehigh Valley increased the lead to five before Richard McCalop hit a three-pointer for Reading
to close the gap to 106-104 with 0:10 remaining. Warren was fouled and split his two foul shots
for the Legends, giving the Rebels a shot to send the game into overtime. However, McCalop’s
desperation 30-footer at the buzzer clanged off the rim as the buzzer sounded, sending Reading
to its second straight loss.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair that featured seven lead changes and four ties, as
Lehigh Valley took a 56-50 lead into intermission. Ja’Quaye James and Lamont Boykins led the
first-half charge for the Legends, scoring 15 points apiece in the half. James, who came into the
game averaging 29.3 points per game in his first three games of the season, had a team-leading
26 points for Lehigh Valley.

The Rebels had three players who scored in double figures in the first half. McCalop and Evan
Hinson scored 10 points apiece before the break, while Emmanuel Egbuta had 11 points.
Egbuta was just getting started, however.

The majority of the third quarter was dominated by the Legends, as they outscored Reading 24-
13 over the first 8:15 of the quarter to open up a 17-point lead at 80-63. Egbuta kept the Rebels
in the game, scoring 10 of the teams’ 24 points in the quarter. Egbuta, who averaged 14.5
points and 8.5 rebounds in the first two games of the season, finished with a double-double of
32 points and 13 rebounds, both game-highs.

Reading shot 48.1% from the floor and 42.1% from three-point range, but the Rebels missed 12
shots from the foul line (18-30, 60%). Egbuta was 10-16 from the charity stripe in the game.
Lehigh Valley shot 43.5% from the floor and 37.0% from beyond the arc, while shooting 70.0%
(23-33) from the line. Reading won the rebounding battle, 55-43, but the Rebels turned the ball
over 20 times in the game, compared to 12 for the Legends.

McCalop and Carr scored 15 and 14 points, respectively, for Reading, while Tarojae Brake and
Hinson chipped in with 10 points apiece. Six of the seven players who scored for the Legends
went for double digits. Besides James, Charles Funches (19), Boykins (18), Timothy Simmons
(17), Brandon Beloti (15) and Warren (10) scored at least 10 points in the game.

The Rebels will take their 1-2 record to Shenandoah University on Saturday, March 18 to take
on the Virginia Valley Vipers. Game time is 7 pm.

Rebels have no answer for Gambits’ outside arsenal

Aquille Carr splits the defense for a tough shot off the glass

Photo Credits: BILL SNOOK PHOTOGRAPHY

Published By: Doug Gilghrist

The Reading Rebels came into Friday night’s game riding high after their opening-night victory,
but the Atlantic City Gambits put on an impressive shooting display from beyond the arc en
route to a 98-85 victory.
Atlantic City shot 46.4% (13-28) from three-point range, while the Rebels were just 7-29 (24.1%)
from downtown, with four of their seven triples coming in the opening quarter.
The Gambits jumped on Reading early, scoring 11 of the first 13 points of the game, before the
Rebels came alive. The final seven minutes of the first quarter belonged to Reading, as the
Rebels closed the quarter on a 19-9 run to take their first and only lead of the game, 21-20,
heading into the second quarter. Aquille Carr scored eight of his team-high 19 points in the
opening stanza.
That 19-9 run would end up being the highlight of the night for Reading, as the lead would be
very short-lived. Atlantic City’s Wali Hepburn would drain his only basket of the evening, a
three-pointer, just 1:15 into the second quarter, giving the Gambits a 23-21 lead, one which
they would never relinquish.
The second quarter was a defensive battle on both ends of the court. For the second
consecutive quarter, the Rebels held Atlantic City to just 20 points, however Reading could only
manage three field goals and 12 total points in the quarter.
“It was not a great game for us,” Reading head coach Joe Linderman said. “Holding them
(Atlantic City) to 40 points in the first half, I thought we played good defense. Offensively, we’re
trying to find our own identity.”

Myles Lewis elevates on a fast break dunk in transition

Photo Credits: BILL SNOOK PHOTOGRAPHY

Published By: Doug Gilghrist


The Rebels’ offense came alive in the second half, scoring 52 points, but so did the Gambits’
offense. Brandon Taylor scored the first six points of the second half to increase Atlantic City’s
advantage to 46-33, which was too much for the Rebels to overcome.
The Gambits’ lead grew to a game-high 18 points early in the third quarter before Reading went
on another run. The Rebels outscored Atlantic City 24-12 from the 8:16 mark to the 2:09 mark
of the third quarter to cut the deficit to six points, at 64-58, but it was too little, too late.
Reading did cut the Gambits lead to five points once in the final quarter, but Atlantic City
outscored the Rebels 29-25 in the quarter to secure the victory.
Richard McCalop, who didn’t score his first points of the game until the 3:32 mark of the second
quarter, finished the game with 17 points for Reading. Joining Carr and McCalop in double
figures was Emmanuel Egbuta (13), Aron Nwankwo (11) and Tarojae Brake (10).

“The first half was just terrible for me,” McCalop said. “In the second half, I tried to make some
energy plays. We just fell a little short tonight.”
McCalop pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds, while Brake and Nwankwo nearly joined
McCalop in the double-double club, grabbing nine rebounds apiece. The Rebels outrebounded
the Gambits 50-42 for the game.
Taylor paced Atlantic City with 21 points, while Jaymere Hadden and Leon Freeman-Daniels
each had 18 points in the win. Cameron Jones scored 15 points for the Gambits, while John
Green pitched in with a double-double, scoring 12 points and corralling 11 boards.
“We need to put this loss behind us and move on to the next game,” Linderman said. “We just
need to get better.”
The Rebels (1-1) will not have much time to think about the loss, as they travel to Lafayette
College for a meeting with the Lehigh Valley Legends (1-2) on Saturday, March 11 at 7:00 pm.

Rebels use balanced scoring, defense
to cruise to win in season opener

Published By: Doug Gilghrist

Photos: Courtesy of BILL SNOOK PHOTOGRAPHY

The Reading Rebels’ second season in The Basketball League got off to an exciting start on
Saturday evening, as they led from start to finish, throttling the York Mighty Ants by a score of
121-94 at Alvernia University.
Richard McCalop got things started for the Rebels, as he drained a three-pointer early on to
give Reading the early lead. He brought the crowd to their feet moments later as he slammed
home an alley-oop pass, forcing York to take an early time out. It was a sign of things to come,
as McCalop and Emmanuel Egbuta combined for six slam dunks in the game. McCalop scored
the first nine points of the game for Reading, including a rare four-point play that gave the
Rebels a 9-3 lead.
Reading stretched the lead to 21-5 midway through the first quarter, and the Mighty Ants
would get no closer than nine points the rest of the way. McCalop scored 11 of the Rebels’ 32
first-quarter points, while Dylan Crane single-handedly kept York in the game, scoring 13 of his
teams’ 21 points in the first quarter.


After leading 32-21 heading into the second quarter, Reading kept up the offensive intensity,
while their defense limited the Mighty Ants to six made field goals in the quarter. The Rebels
showed their balance in the second quarter, as five players scored at least five points. McCalop,
who ended the game as Reading’s leading scorer with 22 points, sat on the bench for much of
the second quarter with foul trouble, and was limited to just five points in the quarter.
The second half was anti-climactic, as the Rebels extended their 65-37 halftime lead to as many
as 32 points early in the third quarter, before cruising to the impressive 121-94 win. Egbuta came alive
in the second half, scoring 12 of his 16 total points after intermission. Egbuta recorded a
double-double in the game, as he grabbed 12 rebounds, including eight defensive boards.
“It’s all about defense,” Egbuta said after the game. “I just try and bring a lot of energy.”
The Rebels had 12 players score at least two points in the game, with half of those players
landing in double digits. Joining McCalop and Egbuta in double figures was Aquille Carr with 18
points, Tarojae Brake with 16, Myles Lewis with 12 and Maurice Henry with 10. Reading shot
58.4% from the floor and 57.1% from three-point range in the game. McCalop and Carr each
had four of the Rebels’ 12 three-pointers.
Melik Martin led the way for the Mighty Ants with 27 points, while Jahaad Proctor (17), Crane
(16) and Jahaire Wilson (12) also scored in double figures. York shot just 37.4% from the floor
and was held to 4-21 (19.0%) shooting from beyond the arc.

“It’s defense first for us,” head coach Joe Linderman said about his team’s effort in the first half.
“I try to keep the energy up on the bench, and the players know if they aren’t playing with
energy, they are coming out.”
The Rebels will try to make it two wins in a row on Friday, March 10, as they host the Atlantic
City Gambits at 7 pm.