To paraphrase the Charlie Daniels Band, The South went out and did it, sweeping the first round of the CACC playoffs, while the ECC crowned a first-time champion as half of the regional teams have now played their last games of the season. We begin the final February recap with a shocker in Orangeburg:
WILMINGTON 69 DOMINICAN 67
Rashaun Rasheed’s left-wing jumper with one second left broke a 67-67 tie and lifted fourth-place Wilmington past CACC North champ Dominican at the Hennessy Center for its first-ever postseason win since becoming an NCAA program in 2004. The Wildcats – who scored nine straight early in the second half to open up a 47-38 lead – were in front for the vast majority of the game, including a game-high 59-47 with 8:52 to play before the Chargers chipped away, eventually knotting the count at 67-67 on a traditional 3-point play by Robert Hueston (career-high 28 points, 5-6 from 3-point range in his last collegiate game) with 36 seconds to play – his 11th straight point for the hosts. Eric Decker (two points) couldn’t connect on a desperation half-court shot to win as Dominican fell at home in its postseason opener for a second straight season. Tyaire Ponzo-Meek led a balanced attack for Wilmington with 17 points, while Kevin Ohen (16 points, eight rebounds), Ta’Vaughn Griffin (nine points, 14 boards, five blocks) and Rasheed (six points) were also key factors in the outcome. Nick Smith collected 17 points, seven rebounds and five blocked shots in his last game for the Chargers, who also placed Altine King in double figures with 11 points (4-4 FG) and seven rebounds off the bench. The Cats won despite being outshot from the floor (41%-37%), missing all 12 of its 3-point attempts (DC was 6-13) and being out-assisted 15-8. They made up for those discrepancies by dominating on the backboards (50-35, including 25-12 on the offensive end) and in the paint (46-26). They will take on Holy Family in Friday’s semifinals at Philadelphia University.
USCIENCES 61 BLOOMFIELD 51
There was nearly an upset in the other 1-4 game as Bloomfield nearly knocked off South champion University of the Sciences in Philadelphia before succumbing down the stretch. Employing a suffocating 3-2 zone that limited Player of the Year Garret Kerr’s touches, the Bears used a 13-2 flurry over the last 4:52 of the half to flip a 27-17 deficit into a 30-29 lead thanks to a buzzer-beating baseline jumper by Matt Hall (13 points, six rebounds in his swan song). Another Hall jumper at the 12:33 mark of the second half stretched the lead to 47-39 and the natives were getting mighty restless at Morgan Arena. From that point on, however, the Devils had their due, unleashing a 22-4, game-closing blitz, tallying the final 15 points while keeping their guests scoreless over the final 8:14 in shattering the program-record for consecutive wins with 14. Kerr (19 points, 15 rebounds, three steals in 40 minutes) and Sho Da-Silva (12 points, career-high 13 rebounds in a reserve role) were instrumental in crunch time, with the latter delivering the go-ahead put-back at the 2:37 mark and the former eclipsing his own season standard with 359 rebounds - a new school record. Nick Davidson notched 17 points (6-9 FG, 3-3 from deep) and eight caroms in defeat for Bloomfield, which also received 15 and 10, respectively, from Claude Blue. The Bears – who dropped their last four games and, at 11-16, finished with a losing season for the first time since 2007 (10-17) – shot better overall (39%-33%) but were pounded on the glass (49-38, including 19-6 offensive) and outscored 18-2 off turnovers (they committed 17 compared to only six for Sciences). The Devils – who will face Philadelphia on its home floor in Friday’s semis – also fared better at the line (11-19 to 4-7) and accounted for all 19 bench points.
HOLY FAMILY 73 CALDWELL 69
Across town at the Campus Center, Reggie Charles shined early and late with 24 points and seven assists, leading Holy Family to victory over Caldwell for the second straight postseason and punch its ticket to the CACC semis. Marvin Crawford (15 points, 11 rebounds) and Isaiah Gans (14, 9) also played well for the Tigers, who never trailed but could never truly break away either. A 10-0 burst out of the gate in the second half extended a 29-27 lead to 39-27, and it increased to 51-38 with 10:46 remaining before the Cougars began making inroads. Trailing 65-55 near the two-minute mark, the visitors slashed the deficit in half on four occasions before pulling within a possession at 72-69 after a 3-pointer off the dribble by Dawan Lighty (all 13 points in the second half) with 10 seconds to go. Charles was fouled on the ensuing inbounds pass and sank the second of two free throws to end the suspense as Crawford blocked a shot and snatched the final defensive rebound to close it out and snap Caldwell’s four-game winning streak. Poor foul shooting (17-33) nearly sabotaged the effort but a 43-35 rebounding edge helped the hosts prevail. Michael Balkovic was a force inside for the Cougars in his final appearance, registering a 25-point, 11-rebound double-double to reach the 1,000-rebound plateau and eclipse Brian Tonkovich’s season mark with 339. Billy McDonald chipped in with 16 and nine, respectively, while Walker concluded his fine career with 15 points and five assists. Holy Family – which moves on to play Wilmington next – won its 22nd game of the season, a new benchmark during the NCAA era.
PHILADELPHIA 75 POST 58
Derek Johnson erupted for a career-high 30 points (5-9 from long distance) and six rebounds while playing the entire game, carrying Philadelphia past Post at the Drubner Center to assure itself of a home semifinal slot against crosstown rival University of the Sciences on Friday. The Rams trailed just once (2-0) and took control with a 12-2 spurt at the outset of the second half, widening a 30-27 lead to 42-29 following a lay-up by Peter Alexis (13 points, 5-7 FG, 11 rebounds, three blocked shots). A 12-4 counter-run brought the Eagles within 46-41 inside of the 13-minute mark, but Philly U. responded with a 13-2 uprising, capped by two Johnson freebies, to restore a 59-43 advantage with 8:35 on the clock. Post – which received double-doubles from its bigs: Matt Mareno (23 points, 11 rebounds in 40 minutes) and Joseph Lockwood (11, 12) – only came within single digits once down the stretch, at 66-57 after a Mareno lay-up with 2:29 to play before the Rams sank nine of 10 at the stripe to wrap up their fourth first-round win over Post in as many seasons. T.J. Huggins (five assists) and Andre Gibbs each tossed in 13 points in 40 minutes for the winners, who were the vastly superior shooters (53%-33%), especially from downtown Waterbury (7-15 to 4-19) and at the foul line (16-19 to 6-12). The Eagles hung around thanks to better boardwork (44-33 including 25-7 on the offensive end, leading to a 26-14 boon in second-chance points). They also scored nearly twice as often in the paint (34-18).
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS 99 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 78
For the first time ever, St. Thomas Aquinas is regular-season champions in the ECC. Seven players scored in twin figures and 11 of the 12 who saw action scored at least one basket as the Spartans carved up District of Columbia at Aquinas Hall for its fourth straight triumph. The hosts never trailed on the afternoon, establishing leads of 22-10 and 47-23 on the way to a 58-29 halftime doubling. The bulge crested at 84-49 after a Chaz Watler lay-up with 7:06 left, and STAC was able to absorb a late 17-0 charge that barely caused a dent in the final outcome. Alushula Odongo paced the attack with 16 points (4-4 FG), followed by Justin Reyes’ 13 bench points. Watler netted 11 along with three of his teammates: Shaq McFarlan (six rebounds), Aaron Cust (4-5 FG, 2-2 from 3) and Jules de Courtenay (the latter two off the bench). James Mitchell rounded out the septet with 10 (7-8 FT) as St. Thomas shot a blistering 60% from the field as opposed to UDC's 33%. Geran Pope was high man for the Firebirds with 15 points and just as many rebounds off the pine. Michael Terry (15 points, four steals) and Quasim Jones (14 points, five assists) closed out their careers in double digits, while Eric Senegal chimed in with 11 points and seven rebounds in UDC’s fifth straight setback to close out the campaign. The Firebirds won the glass battle, 45-39, including a 29-10 mandate on the offensive end. The game was a foul fest, with each team racking up 26 and fouling out two players. The Spartans will sit out the first round of the upcoming ECC Tournament and pay the winner of Wednesday’s Molloy-LIU Post opening-round game in Brookville.
NYIT 78 DAEMEN 67
National scoring leader Darian Hooker totaled 26 points and four assists, obliterating the conference’s individual season record with 708 points as New York Institute of Technology held off Daemen in Old Westbury to lock up the three-seed in the upcoming ECC Tournament. A 23-7 surge wiped out a 9-0 deficit and put the Bears on top 23-16. The Wildcats went back on top, only to see Khalif Chaplin’s disputed steal and lay-up at the halftime horn put the hosts in front (the controversial play initially didn’t count, then was deemed good by the officials prior to the start of the second half). A 26-13 start to the stanza – capped by a Chaplin 3-ball – gave NYIT a 64-50 lead with 7:57 remaining and Daemen – despite a 26-point, nine-rebound outing from Gerald Beverly – could never chop the deficit into single digits, coming within 10 points on no fewer than six occasions down the stretch as the Bears always had an answer, swishing their last six foul shots to remain in the clear. Chaplin was the model of efficiency off the bench for the winners with 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting (4-5 from deep), while Jon Feiler poured in 16 points (6-9 FG) and yanked down nine rebounds in the win. Jordan Greene (15 points on 5-of-11 shooting from 3) and Supreme Hannah (10 points, six assists) made their presences felt for the provisional NCAA Wildcats, who close out the regular season as the phantom third-place team and will next play in the United States Collegiate Conference of America quarterfinals - as the top seed - on Wednesday in Uniontown, PA. Most of the game stats were virtually identical, including assist/turnover ratio (NYIT 14/14, DC 12/12), foul shooting (NYIT 11-12, DC 13-16), 3-point accuracy (NYIT 9-21, DC 8-22), blocks (2-2), steals (2-2) and points in the paint (26-26). The Bears’ overall shooting (56%-42%) and bench scoring (30-4) proved the determining factors in the outcome. NYIT will host Dowling in Wednesday’s playoff opener.
MOLLOY 87 DOWLING 64
Matt McLeod topped a balanced scorecard with 19 points (8-11 FG) and seven rebounds as Molloy routed Dowling at Quealy Gym to forge a three-way tie for fourth place. A 20-4 run early in the second half inflated a 38-36 lead to 58-40 with 11:41 to go and the Lions were never threatened thereafter, eventually boosting the margin to 25 (87-62) before the dust settled. Richard Zoller – who recorded 16 points and seven rebounds – bookended the tear with a lay-up and free throws, respectively, while Jaylen Morris (17 points, 11 boards) and Brandon Williams (14 points, six rebounds, five assists, four steals) also played well for the victors, who were the superior shooters (49%-39%) and rebounders (52-30), while scoring twice as often at the stripe (16-19 to 8-18) and in the paint (52-26). Tristan Brown sported 17 points and four assists for the Golden Lions, who also landed Darien Davis in doubles with a dozen points. Molloy will play LIU Post in Wednesday’s playoff opener, though the site is yet to be determined. If the Pioneers beat Roberts Wesleyan at home on Sunday, they’ll host. If they lose, the Lions will. Dowling will travel to NYIT for the 3-6 game.
BRIDGEPORT 98 QUEENS 80
The 3-pointers were flying in Flushing as Bridgeport outscored Queens to capture its seventh straight win and a share of the regular-season title. Jesse Jones exploded for a career-best 30 points in just 16 bench minutes, drilling 9-of-12 from beyond the arc, while Devon Elliott tossed in 24 on 6-of-9 shooting from distance as the Purple Knights were a sizzling 17-of-27 from deep and connected on 58% of their shots overall. A 19-3 first-half spell transformed a 15-14 deficit into a 33-18 upper hand after back-to-back Jones triples. Then, an 11-3 flurry out of the halftime break boosted a 54-38 lead to 65-41 and the game was out of reach, the margin maxing out at 25 (76-51) after an Elliott trey with 11:59 on the clock. The Knights – who placed five in double figures in a losing cause – never came closer than 17 points the remainder of the ballgame in falling for a fourth straight time. Willie Williams III compiled 17 points and eight rebounds for Bridgeport, which also saw Ernest Rouse log 13 points, eight assists and five steals. Kyhiem Chaplin filled the stat sheet with 15 points (3-4 from afar), seven rebounds, seven assists and five steals for Queens. He was joined in doubles by Diego Maldonado (15 points off the bench), Jerry Mordi (13 points, seven caroms. Four assists and four steals in his last collegiate appearance), Anthony Hodges (11 points, 3-5 from 3) and Travis Whitfield (11 in a reserve role). The Knights shot a solid 48%, including a strong 11-for-25 from behind the 3-point line, while taking better care of the rock (15 turnovers compared to 22 allowed), but a 39-25 rebounding disparity, leading to a 15-5 second-chance scoring shortfall, hampered their chances for a upset. The second-seeded Purple Knights await the winner of Wednesday’s NYIT-Dowling playoff, with the semifinals to be played at LIU Post next Saturday.