Turnovers doomed the Men’s Centurion basketball team (0-2) in their home opener against the Delaware County Phantoms, led by their shooting guard James Middleton (21 points) in a 110-70 win on Nov. 12 at Bucks.

The deciding point of the game was late in the first half, when the Centurions had brought the game close. The Phantoms responded with a 23-5 run and never looked back.

The Centurions were led by center William Davis who had 17 points, with most of them coming in the first half. William’s contribution kept the game within striking distance, but was a bit of a non-factor in the second half.

Missing in the lineup for the Centurions was starting point guard Kelvin Cobbs-Jackson, who was suspended for “unspecified reasons.”

Throughout the game, it was apparent the Centurions missed him. They looked completely out of rhythm. They had 15 turnovers for the half and six in the first five minutes. This was because they were forcing passes that were not there and had trouble spacing the floor.

All of these mishaps allowed the Phantoms to claim a 15-3 lead early, as they often scored in transition. The Phantoms were also relying on their guard Dominique Owens, who had 14 points in the half.

“We had a players-only meeting on Sunday, and the extra time just transferred to the court,” said Owens on the team’s effort.

The Centurions would receive a boost from their forward Ravi Sinanan whom scored four straight points to spark a 21-8 run that got them within 30-26. The Centurions kept their momentum going with good rebounding and defense.

Davis was most effective during this run, as he presented match-up problems that the Phantoms had no answer for.

“We were a little nervous at first, but since we knew we were playing at home in front of our friends and families, we wanted to impress them,” Sinanan said.

Just as it seemed the Centurions were getting back into the game, the Phantoms regrouped. The early game woes of the Centurions reappeared as they gave up three straight turnovers.

The Phantoms would take advantage and go on a 23-5 run that put them ahead 53-31. The Centurions were simply getting out-hustled and their shooting went from hot to cold in a matter of minutes.

Halftime provided a much needed break for basketball players, but it is worth noting that the Phantoms went back on the court after a brief five minutes.

The Centurion turnover problems continued into the second half and they soon fell even further behind at 66-36.

Kyree Westbrooks, #24 of the Centurions, played well in the second half, but outside of him, there was not really any significant contributions from the team.

Westbrooks was trying to start another run with five straight points, but the scoring would not last.

Instead, the Phantoms went on another big run to the tune of 11-3 that pulled them ahead 81-50. A key part of the Phantoms second-half offense was lethal three-point shooting that made their lead impossible to become endangered.

With the game out of hand, Centurion head coach Donald Perry pulled most of his starters for the last ten minutes of the game. To the Centurions credit, the remaining players on the floor did play with intensity, but were not able to overcome the large deficit as they fell 110-70.