Sudbury Five bench explodes for 55 points in 116-80 win over Tri-State Admirals

Sudbury Five players Devante Jamison (left) and Alex Kotov (right) celebrate victory in this promotional photo. (The Sudbury Five/Facebook)

The Sudbury Five extended their winning streak to four games Sunday afternoon, dismantling The Basketball League’s Tri-State Admirals 116-80 in front of more than 1,700 fans at the Sudbury Community Arena.

The Five, who remain atop the Basketball Super League standings, used a balanced attack to overwhelm their opponents from the opening tip. Sudbury never trailed after the first quarter and built a commanding lead by halftime.

Charlie Marquardt led all scorers with 24 points, connecting on 10 of 14 field goal attempts and 3 of 6 from three-point range.

Duane Notice finished with 17 points and six rebounds for Sudbury, while Alex Kotov contributed 10 points and seven rebounds. Devante Jamison dished out four assists in the win.

Exploding off the bench

Sudbury’s bench provided a significant spark, outscoring Tri-State’s reserves 55-22. Michael Okafor, Emmett Duvall, Nervens Demosthene and Cecil Lee each contributed 11 points off the bench for the Five. Lee recorded a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds, while Demosthene added six assists.

The Five shot 46.2 per cent from the field and converted 24 of 32 free throw attempts. They also forced 15 turnovers, converting them into 29 points.

The Admires were led by Christian Butler’s 18 points. Avante Gilbert added 17 points and eight rebounds in the team’s losing effort.

Fast start

Sudbury took control early, outscoring Tri-State 28-27 in the first quarter before a dominant second period pushed the lead to 56-41 at halftime. The Five continued to pull away in the second half, including a 35-19 advantage in the fourth quarter.

The Five shot 60.9 per cent from the field in the final quarter to put the game out of reach.

Tri-State struggled from beyond the arc, connecting on just 3 of 14 three-point attempts.

Sudbury’s defence held the Admirals to 34.1 per cent shooting overall.

The victory improves Sudbury’s record to 12-3 on the season.

“A clean win,” the team said in a social media post following the game.

The Five next face the Windsor Express on the road Tuesday night – Windsor is the only team to beat Sudbury twice this season; with the series currently tied 2-2.