Fords Prevail in Overtime on Senior Day
SWARTHMORE, Pa. -- The Swarthmore-Haverford men's basketball game needed extra time for the second consecutive season, with the Fords prevailing 78-70 in overtime Saturday afternoon at Tarble Pavilion.
Prior to the game, the Garnet celebrated the careers of seniors Chris Nana-Sinkam (Lancaster, Pa. / Manheim Township), Noam Fliegelman (Philadelphia, Pa. / Central High), Steve Wolf (Philadelphia, Pa. / Father Judge), Matt Kurman (Rockville, Mary. / Walter Johnson), and Ian McCormick (Seattle, Wash. / University Prep). Head coach Lee Wimberly made several remarks and thanked each player and their family and friends for their contributions to the program.
On this afternoon Swarthmore was led by McCormick, who posted another solid game with 20 points and 18 rebounds. Kurman continued his recent hot shooting pouring in 17 points, including five three-pointers that had over 900 vocal fans creating a noisy atmosphere.
The Fords took control early taking the lead by as many as nine points several times. The first half was highlighted by two fastbreak dunks by Haverford junior Chaz Thomas (Huntington, N.Y. / Wyandanch Memorial). The Garnet were led by Wolf, who contributed 12 points on five of six shooting.
Haverford (8-16, 6-12 CC) extended its lead to 13 points at the 12:43 mark of the second half before the Garnet found their stride with 23-5 run get back in the game.
The Fords tried a five-guard lineup in the second half, but McCormick took that to his advantage underneath the basket creating match-up problems. The Fords tried to slow the outburst with a timeout following a McCormick lay-up that cut it to a six-point game with 9:39 to go.
The visitors came out of the huddle and isolated junior Greg Rosnick (Langhorne, Pa. / Neshaminy) in the low block, and the guard banked in a jumper to make it 55-47 with 9:15 remaining.
McCormick came down two possessions later and made an old-fashioned three-point play to bring the Garnet within five.
Following a Fords turnover, freshman Ryan Carmichael (Portland, Maine / Portland) ignited the crowd and brought Swarthmore within two with a triple from the left wing with 7:08 to play. After a Fords’ bucket, Carmichael dropped in another three-pointer from in front of the Swarthmore bench to make the score 58-56 Haverford.
The Garnet completed the comeback after McCormick hustled for a loose rebound on the offensive end and Matt Allen ’10 (Seattle, Wash. / Lakeside) caught the pass in stride, banging a three-pointer for a 59-58 lead with 5:18 to play in regulation.
The Garnet extended the lead to 63-58, but Haverford’s Ben McDowell ’09 (Malvern, Pa. / Devon Prep) answered with a pair of free throws and an unlikely three-pointer (1 for 10 entering the afternoon) with 25 seconds to go, tying the score at 63-all. The Garnet were unable to get a shot off, and the teams headed to overtime, much like the season finale in 2007.
In the extra period, the Fords took control from the tip, using a triple from Mike Fratangelo (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Wilkinsburg) to take the lead for good with 4:15 left. Haverford solidified the lead and closed out the game by hitting 10 out of 14 free throws in overtime.
The Garnet closed out the season with a 2-16 record in the Centennial Conference and 6-19 overall.
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