ANNAPOLIS —- Chris Harris isn’t going to score 30 points every night for Navy, and quite possibly not tomorrow in the BB&T Classic against Villanova.
Which is why it was significant in last night’s 73-67 defeat of Penn that Jordan Sugars went off for 21 points and 12 rebounds.
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“They did a phenomenal job on Chris and we just needed some guys to step up,” coach Billy Lange said. “We had some easy looks at the basket and we didn’t capitalize on. Jordan made the most of his opportunities. The rebounding was the key to it.”
Indeed, Navy faced a significant size disparity against the struggling Quakers, and Sugars’ effort was enough to give the Mids a 40-39 edge on the glass.
It was also an important game for Sugars, a sophomore who has worked his way into the starting lineup after providing a lift off the bench last year. With Kaleo Kina gone, someone needed to emerge as a backcourt scoring complement to Harris, who is averaging more than 20 points.
That someone, it appears, is Sugars.
“That’ll come as long as you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing on the court,” Sugars said.
—- Patrick Stevens
