Seniors Post Double-Doubles, Garnet Fall in Central PA
LANCASTER, Pa. -- It goes to show that you never know what you can see at a Centennial men's basketball game. A rare Saturday evening start time at Franklin & Marshall College was just the beginning.
Coaches on both the Diplomats’ and Garnet staffs put away their top-dollar dress shoes and donned sneakers as part of the National Association of Basketball Coaches’ (NABC) nation-wide effort to promote the importance of cancer prevention and early detection.
On the court, the two squads have been known for accurate shooting from the floor—F&M is second in the Centennial and Swarthmore fourth—and just as dismal at the free-throw stripe (the teams possess the two worst percentages in the Conference). Scratch that trend as well. The teams would hit on only 35.3 % (42 for 119) from the floor yet impressed at the line by nailing a combined 37 for 44 (84.1%).
Garnet seniors Ian McCormick (Seattle, Wash. / University Prep) and Steve Wolf (Philadelphia, Pa. / Father Judge) posted double-doubles as Swarthmore (5-14 overall, 1-11 CC) dropped a close Centennial contest to Franklin & Marshall 66-62 Saturday evening in the Mayser Center.
McCormick posted game-highs with 19 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks while Wolf added 14 points and 10 rebounds. Garnet senior guard Matt Kurman (Rockville, Mary. / Walter Johnson) contributed 11 points and four assists for Swarthmore.
The Diplomats improve to 11-8 overall and 6-6 in the Conference as four players scored in double figures, led by 18 points from forward Mike Baker (Maryland Heights, Mo. / Whitfield School). His front-court partner, freshman James McNally (Bridgewater, N.J. / Bridgewater-Raritan) added 17 points, sophomore guard Mitch Rhyner (State College, Pa. / State College) scored 15 points with three assists and freshman guard Anthony Brooks (Orlando, Fla. / Lake Mary) posted 13 points and a game-high five assists.
A 38-35 game after a Wolf lay-up with 17:56 left in the contest came to a stand-still over the next four minutes. Neither team would register a point until McNally sank a pair of free throws from the line at 14:05.
McNally extended the Diplomats lead to seven, 42-35, with a three-point play at 13:32.
Swarthmore tied the game up 42-42 with a 7-0 run, capped by a nice feed from sophomore Matt Allen (Seattle, Wash. / Lakeside) to junior forward Raul Ordonez (Miami, Fla. / Belen Jesuit) for a lay-in at 11:12. Things were looking good for the Garnet until McCormick was whistled for his fourth foul with 10:02 left.
Rhyner put F&M ahead by eight points at 6:09, nailing a jumper and a three-pointer on consecutive possessions. The sophomore scored 13 of his points in the second half alone.
The Garnet used two free throws by senior Noam Fliegelman (Philadelphia, Pa. / Central) and a short jumper by freshman Sam Lacy (Jericho, Vt. / Jericho) brought the visitors within four, 54-50, at the 4:30 mark.
The Diplomats surged ahead, this time by nine points, on five free throws and a Brooks’ lay-up to hold a 61-52 lead with 3:27 to play.
Swarthmore had one more surge, riding six points by McCormick to clip off an 8-0 run. The senior’s three-point play with 1:36 to go made it 61-60 F&M.
Rhynor ended the Swarthmore run with a 16-foot jumper and the Diplomats hit three of six from the line to end a recent three-game losing streak.
The Diplomats raced out to a 10-2 lead by sinking multiple free-throw line jumpers. A Clay Scovil (Litiz, Pa. / Manheim Twp.) lay in put F&M up 16-9 at 12:30. The home team pushed their lead to eight before two free throws by Wolf and swirling three-pointer by Allen got the Garnet within 23-19 at 7:12.
A quick 8-2 F&M run sent the Diplomats up 31-21 at 4:45 with two McNally free throws.
The first half featured a battle in the trenches won by Franklin & Marshall—18 points in the paint to eight for Swarthmore.
McCormick led the Garnet with 10 points and eight rebounds in the first half. The senior center is just one point shy of becoming the fourth player in school history to achieve 1,400 points.
Swarthmore returns home this Wednesday for a 7:30 p.m. Centennial game vs. McDaniel. The Green Terror squeaked past the Garnet 66-61 in the first match-up in Westminster, Md. on November 28.
Click here for full box score.