YORK, PA – Keuka College used a big second half to down the York College men's basketball team 77-63 in the semifinals of the 15th Annual Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in York on Saturday.
Keuka advances to the tournament championship game as they will square off against defending Centennial Conference champion Johns Hopkins. Hopkins earned a 75-70 win over Lebanon Valley in the tournament's other semifinal.
The Spartans got off to a great start as they sprinted out to a 12-4 lead just over four mintues into the game. Sophomore Brad Wesner (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Trinity) drilled a pair of three pointers in the run as York looked great early.
The Wolfpack slowly climbed back into the game as they tied the game at 23 with 7:22 left in the first half. The two teams would spend the final six minutes of the half going back and forth with four ties and neither team leading by more than four points. The Spartans would settle for a 37-36 lead at the intermission.
The Wolfpack began the second half with a three pointer from Vinney Zambito in their opening possession. Wesner hit a lay up to tie the game at 39 but after Cliff Stevens hit a free throw at the 18:26 mark, the Wolfpack would not trail again.
Keuka opened the second half on a 16-6 run, pushing their lead to 52-43 with 14:12 left in the game. The Spartans battled back, trimming the Wolfpack lead to three as York put together an 8-2 spurt highlighted by a three and a lay up by freshman Matt Scamuffo (Chalfont, Pa./Central Bucks South). Casey Williams answered with a three point play as the Wolfpack held the Spartans at bay.
After Keuka had pushed the lead back to eight, Scamuffo hit another triple to trim the Spartan deficit to 65-60 with 4:23 left. Keuka then went on a back-breaking 11-0 run as the Spartans went scoreless for three minutes. That scoreless streak spelled doom for York was they would be unable to recover.
Williams was fantastic for Keuka as he recorded a double-double with 16 points and a game-high 16 rebounds while he also had six assists in his 38 minutes of action. Williams was 7-for-13 from the floor including 1-of-2 from three and 1-of-4 from the stripe. Trevor Healey also recorded a double-double for Keuka as he had a game-high 20 points while he also pulled down 10 rebounds off the bench for the Wolfpack. Tyler Hixson contributed 16 points and seven rebounds. Zambito was the fourth Keuka player in double figures with 10 points while he also had six rebounds, two assists, a blocked shot, and a steal.
Sophomore Joey Feinberg (New City, N.Y./Don Bosco Prep) led the Spartans as he tallied 15 points with he also had six rebounds, six assists, and a career-high four steals. Wesner was the other Spartan in double figures as he tossed in 10 points. Sophomore Evan Crosby (Honeoye Falls, N.Y./McQuaid Jesuit) led the Spartans on the glass as he pulled in a career-high seven caroms to go along with three points and a blocked shot. Scamuffo and Ryan Beaver (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) each added eight points off the York bench.
The Wolfpack finished the game shooting 50.8% from the floor and 42.9% (6-for-14) from three. Keuka converted 11-of-18 from the free throw line in the win. York shot a cool 35.4% from the field including a cold 8-for-29 (27.9%) from three. The Spartans did connect on 9-of-13 from the free throw line.
The Spartans did a great job of taking care of the ball as they committed just eight turnovers in the loss.
Keuka won the game on the glass as they outrebounded York 47-31. The Wolfpack turned that advantage into 26 second-chance points. Keuka also held a huge margin in points in the paint as they outscored York 42-24 in the lane.
The Spartans will look to capture third place in the tournament as they tip off against the Flying Dutchmen at 5:00 pm at Wolf Gymnasium. The championship game follows at 7:00 pm.