Kings Point, NY - Senior Frankie Wiseley (Emmaus, PA) drilled a running one-hander from just outside the lane as time expired to lift Merchant Marine to a 71-69 victory Saturday afternoon against St. Lawrence. The win secured third place for the Mariners at the Chuck Resler Invitational, hosted by the University of Rochester. Reed Buck (Lawrenceville, GA) notched a game high 19 points and earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
St. Lawrence (0-2) built an early 31-20 advantage after back-to-back free throws from Brady Condlin. The Saints had a balanced attack as four players reached double figures while the team shot a solid 83.9% (26-31) from the charity stripe. However, the Mariners would cut the deficit to just four, 40-36, heading into halftime on the strength of a 16-7 run.
Merchant Marine (1-1) exploded early in the second half, rattling off 13 straight points to build a 51-46 lead. The run was capped by a Nick Sergio (Patchouge, NY) layup as the junior recorded 11 points along with a team high eight rebounds. USMMA shot just 22.2% (4-18) from downtown but still hit at a 41% clip from the field on the afternoon.
Wiseley started his late game heroics by drilling a pair of free throws with 51 seconds remaining in regulation to push Merchant Marine in front, 69-67. The Saints would level the contest at 69-69 with 32 ticks left on two free throws from Payton Stahler.
With time running down the ball found the hands of Wiseley. He circled the key as the clock read three seconds and veered to the right of the lane. Wiseley's hoisted up his shot, which rolled around the rim once and dropped through just as the buzzer sounded to secure the victory and set off a Merchant Marine celebration.
USMMA will now have ten days off before they return to the court. The Mariners will travel just over the Throggs Neck Bridge on November 27th to square-off with rival Maritime (NY).