YORK, Pa. – The York College men's basketball team opened up 2011 in grand fashion Sunday afternoon as they routed visiting Central Penn 106-51 in the first game of the annual Coaches vs. Cancer Classic at the Grumbacher Sport & Fitness Center. The Spartans, who tallied 100-plus points for the first time since January 14, 2009, improve to 9-3 on the season and advance to Monday's championship game against Misericordia.
Kevin Whaley led all scorers with 23 points as he put together a scalding 9-for-10 shooting performance, including 4-for-5 from the three. He also pulled down five rebounds and dished out two assists over his 17 minutes of action.
Led by Whaley's output, four Spartans registered double-figures. Mitch Kemp notched a career-high 14 points on a 4-for-7 showing as all seven of his attempts came from beyond the arc. Kemp was also 2-for-2 from the charity stripe.
Paul Kouvaris and Julian Watson were the other two in double figures for the Green and White. Kouvaris poured in 11 points, seven of which came from the free throw line, while Watson added ten.
The Spartans, who had built an early 13-point advantage at 19-6, saw that lead dwindle to four as Central Penn fought back and kept it close for the first ten minutes of the opening stanza. Leading by only four at 19-15 with less than ten minutes remaining in the period, York embarked on an extended spurt to close the frame. A layup by Jeremy Skoloda sparked a 28-7 run as the Spartans took a 47-22 lead into the locker room.
That 25-point lead quickly increased to 31, at 55-24, less than three minutes into the second half and then to 41, at 69-28, with 13:51 remaining in the contest.
With such an advantage, head coach Jeff Gamber was able to give the Spartan bench extended experience, which could pay off down the line for the Green and White.
All of the Green and White's 20 able-bodied players participated in the 55-point triumph while 15 of those tallied at least two points.
Central Penn's Allen Richardson led his squad with 21 points while also pulling down four rebounds. Richardson went 6-for-13 from the floor as he canned all eight of his free throw attempts.
York's 106-point offensive output against the Knights proved their highest total in a single game since February 20, 2008, when they tallied 112 in a 112-59 CAC win at Gallaudet.
Additionally, the 55-point Spartan advantage is the first time York has bested a team by 50-plus since topping Pittsburgh-Greensburg 117-66 back on December 4, 2000.
The Spartans will now look to ride that momentum into Monday evening's championship game of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, a tournament York has hosted since 1994. Tip-time against Misericordia, who bested Widener 67-54 in Sunday's second game, is slated for 6:00 pm. Central Penn and Widener will play in the consolation game at 4:00 pm.