Last month, the King’s College Men’s basketball team got ran out of the gym by Misericordia, 70-41, in which the Monarchs youth showed as Misericordia’s experience prevailed in the Anderson Center.
This time, when the Cougars make the trek to Scandlon Gymnasium, the Monarchs will be seeking revenge on the team who currently sits atop the Freedom Conference with an overall record of 17-5 and a 9-2 mark in league play.
Coach J.P. Andrejko, the longtime head coach of the Monarchs, is excited for the task at hand on Saturday afternoon.
“They are a very good team,” Andrejko said. “They are the most experienced team in the league and we are developing. It will be a great challenge for us.”
The Monarchs are entering Saturday afternoon’s battle with an overall mark of 13-9 and a 6-5 record against conference foes. The Monarchs currently stand in fourth place in the Freedom Conference standings, just one game ahead of city-rival Wilkes with just three games left on the slate including a showdown with the Colonels.
While the possibility of the Monarchs and Colonels meeting up in a game that decides who takes the final playoff birth, the Monarchs and Coach Andrejko are focused on the conference-leading Cougars.
Misericordia is led by a pair of seniors who have both recently surpassed the 1,000 point plateau in Joe Busacca and Steve Ware.
“They have two really good players,” Andrejko said of the two. “Ware, in my opinion, is the best inside player in the league and Busacca is a very good point guard. They make them very difficult to defend.”
Ware, an all-Freedom selection for the past two seasons leads the Cougars in scoring, averaging 14.9 points per game. Ware is more of a threat off of the dribble and in transition as he is 0-6 from beyond the arc this season.
Busacca is not far off of the pace of Ware, the floor general is averaging 14.6 points per game with 22 three-point field goals, which is good for second on the team. Griffin Sponaugle is the leading three point shooter on the Cougars with 33 three-pointers this year.
The Monarchs are a young team that are growing as a team and as individuals each time they step on the floor.
“I am very happy. They are coming together and getting of understanding of what we want them to do,” Andrejko said. “They are beginning to do more reacting and less thinking,”
The youthful Monarchs are led by sophomore forward and defending Freedom Conference Rookie of the Year Dan Rutecki. The 6-foot-4 forward, is averaging a team-high 15 points per game.
Not far behind is freshman guard Chris Fazzini. Fazzini has been a pleasant surprise for the Monarchs as he is averaging 11.5 points per game. Fazzini’s older brother, John, is averaging 7.5 points per game while running the show for the Monarchs.
The Monarchs look to move closer to solidify their spot in the Freedom Conference playoffs with what would be a huge win over Misericordia. The game is slated for a 3 p.m. tip at Scandlon Gymansium.
“Every league game is important,” Andrejko said. “It doesn’t matter if it is in November or at the end of the season. They each carry the same importance. Every win helps,” Andrejko said about not valuing one game higher than another.
Donny Hopkins covers King’s sports for WRKC Digital, follow him on Twitter @HopkinsDonny or email him at DonaldHopkins@Kings.edu