The Kings storm into Edmonton and steal a win against the NAIT Ooks

Edmonton, February 10, 2023 – The Red Deer Polytechnic Kings came away with one of their biggest wins of the season as they defeated the NAIT Ooks 73-63 in Edmonton. They have now won nine out of their last 10 games.

Coming off back-to-back wins against the Olds College Broncos, the Kings could not solve the Ooks defense and started the game off very slowly with just two points in the first four minutes of the quarter. But they showed off their adversity that has been evident in their past nine games and battled back to within three points of the Ooks with under a minute to go in the first quarter. At the end of the quarter, the Kings were trailing the Ooks 23-20.

Kicking off the second quarter, the Kings battled hard and would take their first lead of the game. They managed to find their defensive form and pick up multiple stops. This energy transitioned into their offense which led to points on the board and ultimately, the lead early on in the second quarter. The Ooks would regain their lead late in the second quarter and force the Kings to call a timeout. The two teams would battle it out in the final seconds of the half and would be deadlocked at 38 as they enter the third quarter. Guard Bernardo Moller (Academic Upgrading) led the Kings with 10 points but it was very much a team effort with seven players including Moller all getting on the scoresheet. The Brazilian guard was a perfect four-for-four from the field at the half.

The offense picked up in the game in the third quarter with both teams finding their way through the opposing team's defense. But no team would crack under pressure with the Kings and Ooks exchanging buckets to keep it very close. At the end of the quarter, the Kings had a slight 55-54 lead as they looked to defeat the Ooks in their own gym. The Ooks have just lost two games at home going into tonight's game.

The Kings came out of the gate strong in the fourth quarter and scored 18 points in the quarter. The Ooks were just held to 9 points in the final 10 minutes as they were defeated for just the third time at home. The final score was 73-63.

Guard Eduardo Crespo (Academic Upgrading) was named the player of the game for the Kings as he had himself yet another incredible night leading his team with 17 points, seven rebounds and two assists.

The Kings will head up north tonight to face the Northwestern Polytechnic Wolves at 6 pm in Grande Prairie.