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Junior college player scores 81 points as tribute to Kobe

Twitter/@zidpowell

Yazid Powell, a freshman guard for the Community College of Beaver County and a lifelong Kobe Bryant fan, honored his idol with an 81-point performance Monday night against Butler County Community College.

Powell tweeted ahead of the game he was going to score 24 points and eight rebounds as a tribute to the NBA legend, but his teammates decided he should try to get 81 points instead, matching Bryant's point total against the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 22, 2006.

"Everybody voted for me," Powell, a Philadelphia native like Bryant, told Mike Jensen of the Philadelphia Inquirer. "They knew how I feel about Kobe."

Although he believed it was possible, Powell still felt some pressure.

"I thought, I don't want to start it and don't finish it," he said. "The goal is 81. I didn't want to let him down."

Powell pulled it off, helping Community College of Beaver County defeat Butler County Community College 147-61. His teammate Neumann Goretti also finished with 24 assists and 8 steals in the win.

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