CORTLAND, N.Y. – Daniel Ross (Syracuse/Westhill) scored 23 points, including two crucial 3-pointers in overtime, as Oswego edged Cortland, 78-76, in the regular-season finale for both teams. Oswego finished in fourth place in the SUNYAC standings at 10-8 (16-9 overall) and will host fifth-seeded Cortland (14-11, 9-9 SUNYAC) in the league tournament quarterfinals Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Cortland and Oneonta finished tied for fifth place, but Cortland earned the fifth seed by virtue of a tiebreaker. Oneonta will play at third-seeded Geneseo Tuesday in the quarterfinals. Brockport won the SUNYAC regular-season title and will host the semifinals and finals Friday and Saturday. Plattsburgh is the second seed and gets a bye into the semifinals.
Senior Kevin McMahon (Hoosick Falls) led Cortland with a career-high 39 points, including a layup with 10 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 66-66. He made 16-of-21 shots from the field, 2-of-3 from 3-point range, and was 5-of-6 from the foul line. He also registered seven rebounds and three assists.
Sophomore Blair Estarfaa (Buffalo/Maryvale) added 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the 3-point line. Junior Lamard Herron (Westbury) scored 11 points, senior Garen Spendjian (Glen Cove) hauled in eight rebounds and sophomore T.J. Hefele (Greenlawn/Friends Academy) finished with five assists and six rebounds.
Ross was one of four Oswego double-figure scorers. He made 4-of-6 treys, grabbed 10 rebounds and had three assists. Matt Crockett (Breezy Point/Xavier) and Elijah McLaurin (Poughkeepsie) each scored 13 points and Rashawn Powell (Endicott/Johnson City) tallied 11 points and led the Lakers with 12 rebounds.
Oswego led 60-54 with 6:19 left in regulation after a McLaurin jumper, but Cortland rallied and eventually tied the game on a McMahon 3-point play with 2:23 left. Crockett buried a 3-pointer with 1:02 left to give Oswego a 65-62 lead, but Hefele scored a quick layup at the 49-second mark. Ross made one free throw with 25 seconds left before McMahon's tying layup. Ross' contested jumper in the final seconds was off the mark and the game went to overtime.
Cortland, now 0-4 in overtime games this season, took four different leads in the extra session. McMahon's dunk put the hosts up 70-68 with 3:26 left, but Ross made a 3-pointer with 3:07 left. Spendjian hit a foul-line jumper at the 1:58 mark, but Ross gave the Lakers the lead for good with a 3-pointer with 1:35 left.
Kyle Covley (Penfield) put Oswego ahead by four with two free throws at the 27-second mark. Cortland missed a shot, then turned the ball over with 12 seconds left, but Ross missed two foul shots with seven seconds left. Cortland raced down the court, but Hefele's potential game-winning 3-pointer from the right corner was just short as time expired.