|
LANCASTER, PA - Gettysburg's Curtis McNeil finished with 18 points as the Bullets made history by becoming the first team in the Centennial Conference to repeat as men's basketball champions with a 50-4 7 decision at Franklin & Marshall. Gettysburg (20-6, 12-3 CC), which claimed the 2001 CC title on the road at Muhlenberg, will now await word at 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 24 from the NCAA in regards to where they will play as the Bullets secured the CC's automatic berth to the NCAA Championships. The two teams would be like champion prizefighters slugging it out on both ends of the court, as the largest lead of the game was six points in favor of the Diplomats following a Asaf Ganot (Jr., Tenafly, NJ/Tenafly) three-pointer with 4:28 left in the first half. But Gettysburg would rally as McNeil drained a three pointer at 2:10 and made two foul shots to cut the Diplomats' lead to 22-21 at intermission. F&M (22-5, 12-3 CC) would push the lead to 24-21 33 seconds into the second half off an Alex Kraft (Sr., Lansdale, PA/Lansdale Catholic) jumper, but Bullets' forward Kevin Boyle made a jumper, a lay-up and a three-pointer in the next 2:07 to put Gettysburg up 28-27. It marked their first lead since the opening basket of the game by Terence Callahan just 20 seconds into the game. The Bullets would shoot the lead up to five as Callahan and Jim Natale poured in buckets to cap a 9-0 run for a 32-27 lead. But F&M answered back as Duran Searles (So., Camden, NJ/Peddie School) canned a three and Cas Thomas (Sr., Langhorne, PA/Neshaminy) made one-of-two free throws to ignite a 6-0 run to put the Diplomats ahead 33-32 with 14:22 left. Gettyburg answered back to retake the lead off a pair of McNeil free throws, but Searles stroked a short jumper for a 35-34 F&M lead with 13:11 to go. The two teams would remain scoreless until 11:58 when Boyle connected on a field goal for a 36-35 Gettysburg lead, but Kraft drove the lane, made the field goal and the subsequent foul shot for a 38-36 Diplomats' lead with 11:44 left. McNeil and Searles would trade baskets before Gettysburg's Dave Glaser made front end of a 1-and-1 to cut the F&M lead to one with 9:19 left on the game clock. The Bullets would attempt to put the Diplomats away as Cody Bowers stroked a three and a field goal for a 44-40 Gettysburg lead with 5:14 to play. Facing elimination, Ganot faked a drive and pulled up for an arching three-pointer to put the Diplomats within one at 4:44. The two squads would remain scoreless over the next minute before Thomas tipped in a shot for a 45-44 F&M lead with 3:42 to play. But it would be the last lead of the day for the Blue and White, as McNeil converted a trey with 2:45 to give the Bullets the lead for good. The Bullets defense would seal the game as Natale picked off a Searles pass wth 42 seconds left. On the ensuing fast break, Searles would foul McNeil who rimmed out a foul shot to give the 2,500 fans in attendance hope of the Diplomats' comeback. With 16.7 seconds left, and the shot clock winding down to four ticks, Searles drove the baseline and stroked an eight-footer which softly fell through the twine for a 47-47 tie and the impending rush of overtime. But it would not be, as McNeil drove down the court and into Juskin for a foul on the 6-6 F&M center. He would make the back end of a pair of shots at the charity stripe for a 48-47 Gettysburg lead with 2.7 seconds left on the clock. F&M would attempt to inbound the ball, but the pass would ricochet off an F&M player and Gettysburg player for a turnover. The Diplomats would immediately foul McNeil who made two-of-two to seal the game. F&M's Kraft would attempt a desperation three-pointer at the buzzer that sailed wide left of the rim for the final. Searles finished the game with a team high 14 points off a six-of-15 performance from the field, while Thomas added 13 points and eight rebounds in the effort. Two-time All-American Kraft chipped in 12 points, and Ganot registered six points and three rebounds. The key to the game would be turnovers and defense, as the Diplomats committed a season high 25 turnovers, including 14 in the second half. In addition, it marked the lowest offensive output by an F&M team since a 63-42 loss at Johns Hopkins on February 17, 2001 in the final CC regular season game of the year. Foul-shots would doom the Diplomats as Gettysburg committed just 12 fouls in the game, five in the second half, to limit F&M to a season low six attempts, as the Blue and White converted three. For the #10 nationally ranked Diplomats, which lost in the Mayser Center for the first time since a 76-58 defeat at the hands of Muhlenberg in the 2001 CC playoffs, the loss clouds their possibility of getting an NCAA berth as the majority of the field is comprised of automatic berths. Historically, all 15 prior F&M men's basketball teams that have won 20 games advanced to the NCAA Championship Tournament. The tournament field will be announced at 9:00 p.m. at ncaachampionships.org, the official online home of NCAA Championships and post-season play.
|
