In his first game back from a car accident, Albany Patroons guard Deon Lyle scored a game-high 25 points in a 120-80 romp over Academie Alma on Saturday night in a The Basketball League game at Washington Avenue Armory.
The Patroons (7-1) earned their seventh consecutive victory.
Lyle sat out both games last weekend after being a passenger a two-car accident March 17 at the intersection of Washington Avenue and Brevator Street in Albany. Lyle was riding with teammate Mustapha Traore, whose car was totaled. The other driver was given a ticket for failure to yield, according to an Albany Police spokesman.
Lyle said he suffered a concussion and his lower body was “shaken up.”
“It was hard when something you can’t control happens,” Lyle said. “You really don’t know why, but I’m counting my blessings. I’m still here and it was good to get out there with my team tonight and get this nice win.”
Both Lyle and Traore were taken by ambulance to Albany Memorial Hospital after the accident and X-rays were negative. Traore returned to play in last Sunday’s victory at Jamestown and scored eight points Saturday against Academie Alma.
Lyle needed extra time to recover.
“Any time you go through something traumatic, you’re traumatized,” Lyle said. “You’re in shock, body shock. I’ve been working really hard to get back, so I’ve been in the gym twice a day. It’s hard because I was the passenger, I took most of the impact. There’s things you can’t control. It’s life and 90 percent is how you respond to what happens. I just thank my teammates for believing me and giving me confidence and keep working toward our goal.”
Lyle played Saturday like someone glad to be back. Coming off the bench, he scored seven points in the first quarter as the Patroons built a 34-15 lead. He made a 3-pointer…
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