Skyhawks drop home finale despite balanced scoring effort

The College Park Skyhawks saw their final home game slip away Wednesday night, falling 129-120 to the Osceola Magic at Gateway Center Arena.

Four Skyhawks finished with 20-or-more points and five-or-more rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a fourth-quarter surge from Osceola. Keshon Gilbert led the way with 28 points, eight rebounds and 12 assists, continuing his strong run since joining College Park. The Atlanta Hawks two-way guard has now posted at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists in five of his seven games with the Skyhawks.

Isaih Moore added 21 points and 11 rebounds in just 24 minutes, marking his third straight game with double-digit boards. RayJ Dennis chipped in 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while rookie Kobe Johnson rounded out the group with 20 points and six rebounds in 36 minutes.

It took both teams a while to settle in. Through the first six minutes, the Skyhawks and Magic combined to shoot just 7-of-21 from the field while committing seven turnovers. College Park eventually found its rhythm, closing the opening quarter on a 13-5 run to take a 35-25 lead.

Osceola answered in the second. A 19-8 burst flipped the momentum and gave the Magic a 44-43 edge midway through the period. The Skyhawks responded with a 15-4 run of their own, regaining control and heading into halftime with a 67-61 lead.

The back-and-forth carried into the third quarter. Osceola used a 13-2 stretch to tie the game at 80-80, but College Park held firm down the stretch, outscoring the Magic 11-8 over the final seven minutes to take a narrow 91-88 advantage into the fourth.

That’s where the game turned.

Osceola opened the final period on a 13-4 run, fueled by seven quick points from William Baker and a pair of threes from Jevonte Smart. The Magic stayed hot from deep, knocking down 7-of-13 from beyond the arc in the quarter and holding off multiple Skyhawks pushes to close it out.

Phillip Wheeler led Osceola with 30 points and five assists, while Smart added 22 points and seven assists. Colin Castleton contributed 21 points and 16 rebounds in the win.

With the loss, College Park falls to 13-21 on the season and now turns its attention to the final stretch. The Skyhawks will head to North Carolina for a season-ending back-to-back against the Greensboro Swarm on March 27 at 7 p.m. and March 28 at 6 p.m.