Simpson and Carr Lead Knights Over St. Joe’s for 16th Win
The dynamic duo of Nick Simpson and Kevin Carr worked their magic once again on Wednesday night. Senior Nick Simpson poured in 35 points, including 11-11 from the free throw line, and Junior Kevin Carr added 29 points of his own, plus six assists. Carr paced the Knights throughout the second half, consistently driving to the basket for field goals. Carr had 23 points in the second half and amazed the crowd with some dazzling passing.
Vermont Tech held a one point edge at halftime, 42-41. The Knights had opened a 12 point lead in the first half. Big men Trent Roleau and Josh Lindsey were forced to the bench with foul trouble. St. Joe’s banged the offensive boards consistently for second shots and climbed back to even the score.
“I was happy to get to halftime with a lead,” said Coach John Dyer afterwards. “With Trent, Josh and Kwei all facing foul difficulties, I knew we were overmatched on the boards. CSJ is a tough rebounding team. They had 11 offensive rebounds at the half. Nick and Kevin really stepped up in the second half. St. Joe’s is a tough, scrappy team. They pass the ball well and find the open man. I’m sure we’ll see them in the Sunrise playoffs.”
In the second half, the Knights came out strong. At one point, Kevin Carr went on an 6-0 run to put Vermont Tech up by 10. The Saints never quit. They closed the gap to six points with four minutes to play. In the final minutes, Nick Simpson, Kevin Carr, Alex Tyrrell, Josh Lindsey and Kwei General-Vanderpuije all hit free throws to preserve the lead and ice the win.
Both teams were severely hampered by foul trouble. St. Joe’s leading scorer, Raheim Smalls fouled out midway through the second half. Four Vermont Tech players had four fouls in the game. “I’m glad this wasn’t an overtime contest,” joked Coach Dyer. “The way the fouls were being called on us, we may have been left with just one player standing.”
Vermont Tech is now 16-1 on the season and stands atop of the Sunrise Conference with a 4-1 record.
