WICHITA, Kan. — Some birthdays are just better than others. Wichita Sky Kings shooting guard Julian Winton found that out Friday night at Koch Arena in Wichita. Winton jumped high to steal the Rockwall 7ERS Rasheed Brooks skip-pass with 5.6 seconds remaining in a 98-all tied game and sprinted out 85-plus feet to score the winning basket to give the Sky Kings the 100-98 victory.
Winton turned 27 on Friday and celebrated with 14 points, three steals, two assists and was 6-of-11 from the field for 54.4% shooting, helping the Wichita Sky Kings get their 13th win of the season. Wichita is now 13-4, in 3rd place in the TBL Central division race and face first-place Potawatomi Fire on Sunday at Koch Arena with a 3 p.m. tip.
Sunday's game will also feature KU and Miami Heat great Mario Chalmers for a meet-and-greet at 2 p.m. and at halftime as the Sky Kings guest celebrity.
The Sky Kings placed six players in double figures, led by Derrick Colter's 16 points (4-of-9 from downtown). Johnny McCants secured his third-straight double-double with a 15-point, 17-rebound effort. Isaac Johnson had a 15-point, nine-rebound night. Kam Williams continued to shoot well with 13 points. Jachai Simmons had 12 points and eight boards.
D'Evon Andrews came off the bench to add six points, Terrell Brown chipped in seven.
For Rockwall, Sean Gardner was spectacular with 32 points and seven rebounds. Rasheed Brooks had 25 points and seven boards. Brooks kept the 7ERS in the game with a huge 4th quarter, including the shot that tied the game at 98 with 15 seconds remaining. Troy Jones also scored 18 for the 7ERS.
The 7ERS fall to 4-12 and travel to Shawnee, Oklahoma, on Saturday to take on the first-place Potawatomi Fire, then host Shreveport on May 7, Potawatomi again on May 12 and the Sky Kings again on May 13 for a really tough schedule over the next two weeks.
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