The University of Scranton men's basketball team couldn't slow a hot-shooting York squad early on in Saturday's championship game of the Hilton Scranton Invitational in the Long Center. It led to a double-digit deficit the Royals could never completely overcome in an eventual 84-70 loss to the Spartans.
Scranton (1-1) fell behind by 22 midway through the first half, but clawed back within nine at 50-41 at halftime. In the second half, the Royals slowly crept closer, pulling within four at 70-66 with 9:21 remaining. But York (2-0) then went on a 12-1 run to take an 82-67 lead with 2:40 to go, putting the game way.
The Royals were led by sophomore guard Kyle DeVerna (Rockville Centre, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial), who earned a spot on the all-tournament team after finishing with 21 points, five assists and two steals. Junior guard Jack Connelly (Ellington, Conn./Ellington) made four 3-pointers en route to 16 points, four rebounds and three steals. Senior forward Drew Schankweiler (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg) had 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists and a block, and senior guard Ethan Danzig (Clarks Green, Pa./Abington Heights) finished with 13 points, five rebounds, three blocks and an assist.
Scranton shot 42.1 percent (24-for-57) from the field, including 8-for-28 (28.6 percent) from 3-point range. The Royals were 14-for-23 (60.9 percent) from the free throw line, including 11 of 12 from DeVerna. They committed just nine turnovers while forcing 14.
York finished the night shooting 52.5 percent (32-for-61) from the field, including 50 percent (11-for-22) from 3-point range. The Spartans hit eight of 14 (57.1 percent) from beyond the arc in the first half. Senior center Blayde Reich (Lebanon, Pa./Lebanon) earned MVP honors with 28 points, nine rebounds, two blocks and an assist. Senior forward Dalton Myers (Finksburg, Md./Westminster) was an all-tournament selection after adding 20 points, 10 rebounds and three assists.
The Spartans held a 39-27 edge on the glass and finished 9-for-11 from the line.
Earlier on Saturday, Pitt.-Bradford captured third place with a 110-103 victory over Penn State-Berks. The combined 213 points were a Long Center record, breaking the previous mark of 206, set on Dec. 21, 1974, when Scranton defeated Spring Garden, 118-88.
Pitt.-Bradford senior guard Sahlil Harris (Philadelphia, Pa./Bodine) was named to the all-tournament team after he had 25 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, eight steals and two blocks. Penn State-Berks senior guard Nelson Hine (Reading, Pa./Muhlenberg) had 19 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, a block and a steal to earn all-tournament honors.
--ROYALS--