Fords Shoot Past Garnet
SWARTHMORE, Pa. -- The final score may be low, but the emotions ran high as the Swarthmore and Haverford men's basketball team squared off for the 153rd time in one of most hotly contested rivalries in all of Division III, highlighted by two star players.
The Fords prevailed 63-53 in the latest edition at Gooding Arena, using hot outside shooting, an active zone defense and the athleticism of All-Centennial guard Chaz Thomas (Huntington, N.Y. / Wyandanch Memorial) to improve to 5-12 overall and 3-8 in the Centennial. Thomas led the Fords with 29 points (tying a season-high) while Mike Fratangelo (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Wilkinsburg) and Matt Palmer (Seven Fields, Pa. / Sewickley Academy) chipped in 10 points.
Swarthmore still holds a sizeable edge in the overall series (90-63) and will look to return the favor when the teams meet in the regular season finale on February 23 in Tarble Pavilion. The Garnet got a team-high 25 points from its top player, senior center Ian McCormick (Seattle, Wash. / University Prep), as the squad slipped to 5-13 overall and 1-10 in the Conference. Senior forward Steve Wolf (Philadelphia, Pa. / Father Judge) added 10 points for Swarthmore.
McCormick, the hottest three-pointer shooter in the Centennial (60.7% in the last seven games) opened up the game with a triple from straight on. The star power on the other side of the court would not be out-done--Thomas nailed a fade-away jumper on the Fords’ first possession.
Thomas upped the ante, going down to the block looking to shutdown McCormick. The match-up did not work in the home team’s favor as McCormick put up six points in the opening six minutes, finishing off a three-point play to put Swarthmore up 8-6 at the 14:04 mark.
The Fords began to hit jumpers from outside, getting consecutive three-pointers from Palmer and to take a 13-8 lead at 10:15.
Wolf hit one of his trademark shooting streaks, nailing three consecutive jumpers to cut the Fords’ lead to one, 15-14, at 7:07. McCormick’s jump hook at 5:20 and an old-fashioned three-point play 40 seconds later put Swarthmore back in front, 19-17.
The Fords’ were unable to contain the Garnet post men – McCormick had 15 points and Wolf added 10 as Swarthmore out-rebounded Haverford 19-15.
Thomas made his mark near the end of the first half, sparking a 10-4 run with eight points to send his team into the locker room with a 27-25 lead at half. He posted a team-high 10 markers in the first twenty minutes.
Torrid shooting marked the beginning of the half-the Garnet nailed four consecutive three-pointers while the Fords answered with two triples by Thomas and a Fratangelo jumper.
McCormick looked to establish control of the paint again, hitting a jump hook in the lane at 13:20 put Swarthmore ahead 39-37.
The Fords dropped into a zone defense, successfully swarming McCormick. Thomas began a Haverford surge with a triple from corner at 12:30 and then followed up with a three-point play at 11:05, giving the Fords a 43-39 lead. The run grew to 10-2 when Fords’ guard Greg Rosnick’s (Langhorne, Pa. / Neshaminy) steal and dish to Ray Panek (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Regis) for a 47-41 advantage with eight minutes to play.
Thomas rang up his fifth triple of the night at 6:45—the Fords led 50-41 and would keep the Garnet at bay the remainder of the evening.
McCormick continues to produce for Swarthmore, hitting eight-of-14 from the floor while adding a team-high nine rebounds and two blocks. The two rejections give him 53 on the season, breaking the school record (50) he had held with Rob Ruffin ’92.
The Garnet held a 35-32 edge on the backboards while the Fords turned up 22 turnovers while committing just 13.
Swarthmore concludes a three-game road stint this Saturday in Lancaster, Pa. facing the Franklin & Marshall Diplomats. The game has a rare evening start time on the weekend with the tip scheduled for 8:00 p.m.
Click here for the box score.