Buckingham got outgunned by Cumberland in the first quarter Thursday night, however a dominant third quarter got the Knights back in control and in position to escape their rivals 94-82. But not before Cumberland’s Devonte Booker unleashed a 50-point night on Buckingham.
Booker, a 5-foot-9 junior guard, couldn’t single handedly dispatch multi-faceted Buckingham though, and despite a 20-point performance from the Dukes’ Rashawn Sims, the Knights managed to outscore Cumberland 30-15 in the third frame of the high-scoring affair to establish a commanding lead. Buckingham got big outings from Landon Allen, who poured in 25 points, and Caleb White who scored 24.
White dominated at the free-throw line, hitting 15 of 16 shots, and Allen knocked down seven of his eight chances at the charity stripe.
Buckingham (7-3) shot 49 free throws on the night, hitting 37 of them as a team.
Tarian Ayers had a big double double with 15 points and 12 rebounds while also dishing out six assists and committing just two turnovers. Antonn Briley, meanwhile, chipped in 18 points to the effort and rang up six assists to go with his three steals.
The Knights battle Randolph-Henry today at home at 7:30 p.m.
