SELINSGROVE, Pa. – The 99th meeting in the Route 15 rivalry between the Lycoming College men's basketball team and Susquehanna University was full of surprises. Senior Will Kelly (Williamsport, Pa./Loyalsock Township) was forced out of the lineup due to an injury, and in his stead, senior Sebastian Sabella (Bayside, N.Y./Episcopal School) came off the bench to post 18 points and freshman Kevin Anthony (Atlanta, Ga./Bridgton Academy) posted his first career double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, and what didn't change was the Warriors' high-octane style of play, as the Warriors overmatched the Crusaders, 82-63, on Tuesday night at O.W. Houts Gymnasium.
"I'm proud of our guys," Lycoming head coach Guy Rancourt said. "I thought they did a great job. They fought through a lot of adversity."
The Warriors, who won for just the second time in the last 14 meetings at Houts Gymnasium, improved to 5-0 for the second straight year, the first time in school history the team has gotten off to consecutive five-win starts and the Warriors took a 50-49 lead in the all-time series. Susquehanna fell to 1-2.
Anthony posted 14 points on 6-of-6 shooting and a game-high 11 rebounds, while also posting three steals and two blocks, as he was forced into extended action with the injury to Kelly and the foul trouble of junior Mike Bradley (Philadelphia, Pa./St. Joseph's Prep) and freshman Justin Miller (Agawam, Mass./Bridgton Academy). Anthony helped the Warriors shoot 51 percent (29-for-57) from the field while forcing the Crusaders into 23 turnovers, leading to 30 Warrior points, and a 36 percent (21-for-58) effort from the floor.
Sabella, likewise, was called into extended service, and the 6-5 guard delivered by hitting six field goals, three treys and three free throws while also adding two steals in 27 minutes, falling a point shy of his career high.
"Sebastian did a great job," Rancourt said. "This may be a little unfair to him, but I expect that. He has the tools. He just hasn't been able to translate that from practice. Sebastian is going to be very important to us this year."
Sophomore Ihsaan Davis (Jamaica, N.Y./Christ the King) also was a key part of the Warriors' offense, finished with 21 points and creating havoc with four steals to go with four rebounds and a block. Sophomore Jerald Williams (Riverdale, Md./Bladensburg) posted 11 points, eight rebounds and two steals from the point guard slot.
The Warriors jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first 81 seconds, as Anthony nailed two shots during the run, but the Crusaders fought back, led by Spenser Spencer, who scored 10 points during a 12-2 run. Sabella put the Warriors back on top with his first 3-pointer, but the teams fought evenly through the next eight minutes with a jumper from Spencer tying the game at 27 with 7:30 left.
However, from there, the Warriors took over, going on a 20-5 run in the final minutes of the half, starting the run with a jumper by Miller and a steal by Anthony led to a traditional 3-point play by Davis that gave the Warriors a five-point lead. After the Crusaders cut the lead to three, a free throw from freshman Michael Rudy (Danville, Pa./Danville) was followed by a steal from Davis and a dunk from Anthony on a give from Williams. Davis scored eight more points during the run, canning two treys to give Lycoming the 47-32 halftime advantage.
In the second half, the Crusaders turned away from its starters, as none appeared in the final 20 minutes and the Susquehanna reserves cut the lead to 10 points with 13:12 left after a jumper by Wally Rutecki, but a three-point play by Miller on a give from Sabella kept the lead in double figures, where it stayed for the rest of the game. The Warriors got the lead to 20 points after a jumper from junior Brandon McFarland (Pottsville, Pa./Pottsville Area) with 1:07 left made it 82-61 and a free throw from the Crusaders cut the lead to its final 19-point margin.
Miller notched seven points, four rebounds and two blocks despite his foul trouble and Rudy added five points, seven rebounds and two assists in his first career start.
Harley Sellinger led the Crusaders with 12 points and seven rebounds, also adding two steals and Wally Rutecki and Spencer added 10 points. Rob Estep, Jake Eskin and Scott Marcinek each posted three assists.
The Warriors will look to open a season 6-0 for the first time since the 2004-05 team won its first 10 games and win its first Commonwealth Conference home opener in the Rancourt era on Wednesday, Dec. 1 when the Warriors head to Grantham, Pa., for an 8 p.m. clash with Messiah.