AFA's Parker hopes to finish strong

LAS VEGAS – Air Force’s Grant Parker wants to finish his senior year with a flourish.

Kind of like how he started it.

The 6-foot-8 forward/center scored a career-high 26 points in the Falcons’ season opener and through seven games was averaging 17.1 points.

But an unusual pelvic injury sidelined Parker for the next 10 games – about a third of the season. And while he performed admirably through the rest of the Falcons’ league schedule, he was hampered by the injury and faded in the last two regular-season games. Parker shot just 9-of-27 from the field in the two games, including 0-for-11 from 3-point range.

That’s not how he wants to conclude his academy career.

“You don’t want to go out on a cold streak,” Parker said after scoring four points in Saturday’s 61-42 loss to San Diego State.

The forward/center has a chance to redeem himself Wednesday in the Mountain West Conference Tournament play-in game. Air Force, the tournament’s ninth seed, faces eighth-seeded Wyoming at 3 p.m. with the winner meeting top-seeded New Mexico at 1 p.m. Thursday.

Air Force and Wyoming split their regular-season meetings, with Wyoming winning last week in Laramie, 58-49, and the Falcons beating the Cowboys, 70-63, at Air Force on Jan. 30 for their only league victory.

“I’m excited,” Parker said. “We know we can beat Wyoming. … I’m definitely thankful that we’re going to get to go to Vegas and have another chance to win a game.”

Last season the Falcons were able to gain a morsel of redemption after an 0-16 conference regular season with a victory over Colorado State in the tournament play-in game. They hope to do the same this year to build momentum going into the offseason and send Parker and the senior class off with at least one more victory.

“Those seniors have worked tremendously hard throughout the whole time they’ve been here, and they’ve taught all us young guys a lot of things,” junior forward Tom Fow said. “It was definitely disappointing to lose on Senior Night, and I feel pretty confident that we can work pretty hard and send these seniors off with a good end to their careers.”