YORK, PA-Though he is the shortest player on the York College
men's basketball team, freshman point guard Julian
Watson (Odenton, Md./Arundel) already has a knack for
making some of the biggest plays of the season for the Spartans.
Watson did it again on Saturday as he tied the must-win game
against Marymount with .4 seconds left in regulation, enabling the
Spartans to defeat the Saints in overtime, 90-82.
The Spartans, who needed the win to earn a spot in the six-team
CAC tournament, improve to 9-16 overall and 7-9 in the CAC while
the Saints, who will be fourth seed in the tournament and host
Salisbury, fall to 13-12 overall and 8-8 in the league.
The Spartans had control of the game early as they led 18-12 on
a Mike Riley (Webster, N.Y./McQuaid Jesuit) three
with 11:35 remaining in the half. The Saints then embarked on a
16-2 run that turned their six-point deficit into a 26-20 lead. The
Marymount lead grew to as many as eight at 33-25 on a three-point
play from Sam Sentz with 2:40 remaining in the half. York cut the
lead to five twice over the final two minutes before Marymount hit
the final jumper of the stanza as they took a 37-30 lead to the
break.
The Saints came out of the half and hit the first bucket of the
stanza but York responded with a seven-point spurt to cut the
Marymount lead to 39-37. The Saints answered with a 9-1 run to take
a game-high ten point lead, 48-38, with 14:58 remaining in
regulation. York then went on a 17-7 run that tied the game at 55
with 10:51 left in the game, setting up a very exciting finish to
the Spartans' home campaign.
The Saints pushed out to a four-point lead before York retied
the game at 63, the sixth tie of the contest. York took their first
second half lead on a Nick Brady (Hanover, Pa./Delone Catholic)
three with 5:09 left in the second half. The Spartans pushed their
advantage to four twice before the Saints tied the game at 70 on an
Elvis Ellis bucket with 3:02 remaining in regulation. Ellis hit
another basket with 1:41 left, giving the Saints a 72-70 lead. The
Spartans forced a turnover on an inbounds play and Brady hit a
bucket to tie the game at 72 with 1:10 remaining in regulation.
Marymount's Ronnie Barbour hit a dagger three from the left
corner with 38 seconds remaining, giving the Saints a 75-72 lead.
The Spartans answered with a Watson lay up with 32 seconds left to
cut the Saint lead to one. The Spartans then were unable to foul
until there were 12 seconds left in regulation when they sent Bryan
DeBruin to the line. DeBruin split the pair, giving Marymount a
76-74 lead. That set the stage for Watson's big play. The
Spartans took possession and it looked like they weren't
going to get a shot off as the ball was tipped away from Watson
just outside the arc with seven seconds left. Watson collected the
ball and drove to the bucket where he hit a lay up with .4 seconds
left, forcing overtime.
In the extra session, Marymount scored the opening basket on a
Rockwell Moody hoop just 20 seconds into the overtime. Watson hit a
jumper to tie the game and York would never trail again. Senior
Pat Kelley (Davidsonville, Md./South River) then
hit a lay up and a three on consecutive possessions to give York an
83-78 lead. After Barbour hit another big three to cut the York
lead to two, Watson canned yet another huge shot as he drained a
three and a pair of free throws to push the York lead to 88-82. The
Spartans made two free throws in the final 18 seconds to provide
for the Spartans' final margin of victory.
Kelley led the Spartans with a career-high 20 points on Senior
Day, as he was 7-for-14 from the floor including 2-of-3 from three
and 4-of-5 from the free throw line. Kelley also had four assists,
three rebounds, three steals and one blocked shots. Brady added 20
points, five rebounds, and three steals for the Spartans. Brady was
7-for-14 from the field, while he also made 3-of-6 from three, and
3-of-4 from the charity stripe. Watson was the third Spartan in
double figures with 19 points, four assists, two steals, and two
rebounds. Watson was 7-for-14 from the floor including a
career-high three three-pointers and a pair of free throws. Riley,
playing in his final home game at York, added eight points, five
rebounds, and four assists in his 21 minutes of work.
Sentz led the Saints as he tallied 20 points in addition to
pulling down five rebounds and handing out three assists. Sentz was
8-for-10 from the floor but just 4-for-9 from the free throw line.
Moody recorded a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Moody was 6-for-7 from the field and 1-for-4 from the free throw
line. Barbour and Ellis each added 12 points while Chapmen Canady
chipped in with 10 points.
Marymount shot a blistering 57.1% from the floor for the game
while York shot 43.8% from the field. The Spartans did shoot 60%
(12-for-20) from three while the Saints were 5-for-11 from distance
for the game. The Saints shot just 50% (13-for-26) from the free
throw line for the game while York converted 14-of-19 (73.7%) from
the stripe for the contest.
The Saints handled the Spartans on the boards as they held a
42-32 margin on the glass. Marymount overwhelmed York in the paint,
outscoring the hosts 52-24 in the paint. The Spartans forced 23
Marymount turnovers, which they turned into 28 points. York had
just 13 miscues that the Saints converted into 13 points.
Kelley and Riley were honored prior to tip as they were playing
in their final game at Charles Wolf Gymnasium. They represent the
final class that played in the old Wolf Gymnasium.
York begins its second season on Tuesday evening in the CAC
quarterfinals as they travel to third-seeded Mary Washington. Tip
time in Fredericksburg, VA is set for 8:00 pm.
GAME BOX
Photo courtesy of Steve Doemland (www.stevedoemland.com)
