Kenosha, Wis - On a night that consisted of Colin O'Rourke's 1,000th point, Parkside erased a 15-point deficit and won 83-75. After shooting just 28% in the first half, Parkside came storming back with a 52-point second half.
Inside the box score:
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Colin O'Rourke dropped a career-high 27 points en route to his 1,000th point. He scored 18 points in the second half, collecting eight rebounds, and four assists.
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Nick Brown recorded his second double-double, with 14-points, 11 rebounds, and five assists.
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Rokas Castillo scored 16-points, three rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Castillo drew 12 fouls in 32 minutes.
How it happened:
Ethan Ivan began the game with a bang, as he nailed a quick triple to put Parkside on the board first. Ivan had a big night, playing in 29 minutes and all of his points came from beyond the arc. Parkside fell behind early, as the team struggled significantly from the field in the opening half.
Even though Parkside slumped from the field, the team kept themselves in the game with stellar defense and hustle. Over and over again, second chance opportunities were created. Nick Brown played in a game-high 39 minutes and hit Josiah Palmer for a timely three-pointer midway through the first half.
With six-minutes to play in the first half, Parkside fell behind as much as 15-points. However, a 11-2 run got Parkside right back on track and kept them within striking distance. Parkside pulled within six-points after Rokas Castillo found Ethan Ivan in the corner.
Parkside trailed by eight points going into the half, and shot just 28% from the field. O'Rourke had nine points and his big night was just getting started. Everything changed in the second half. Within the first five-minutes of the half, shots from Brown and Palmer got rolling. They pulled within three-points with 14:46 to go in the game.
After a quick response, Saginaw Valley State remained persistent and stretched their lead back up to 10 points, 52-42 with 13:47 left. Even when it felt like Saginaw Valley State jumped back into control, Parkside never went away. O'Rourke began to heat up and he scored his 18th point with 11 minutes left. He also added an empathic slam dunk that shot a jolt of energy into Parkside and De Simone Arena.
Parkside took their first lead since early in the first half courtesy of a Nick Brown basket, 58-57.
Parkside rode that momentum and went on a run. Josiah Palmer had his biggest shot of the game, nailing a pull-up triple to extend Parkside's lead to nine.
And then, with 1:09 on the clock in the final half Colin's moment was here. O'Rourke received the ball in the post and finished through contact for his 1,000th career point! A remarkable moment as Colin had a load of emotions, he smiled, pumped his first, and pointed to his family in the crowd.
O'Rourke had a night to remember, and Parkside secured their 11th win of the season and 6th in GLIAC play. Parkside trailed for 75% of the game, but got the job done thanks to a 59% shooting performance in the second half.
Up next:
Parkside returns to action on Thursday night against Northern Michigan on the road. They will also take on Michigan Tech on Saturday. For coverage of the events, visit ParksideRangers.com/coverage.
