2/19/2008

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa.—Lycoming’s men’s basketball team (16-8, 7-2) won the regular-season Commonwealth Conference championship and clinched home-court advantage for the playoffs with a 56-54 victory over Elizabethtown on Tuesday night. Albright also defeated Widener on Tuesday, guaranteeing Lamade Gymnasium as the site for next Wednesday's semi-final game and, potentially, Saturday's final if the Warriors win in the semis. Times and match-ups will be forthcoming from the conference.

Eric Anthony (Wheeling, W.V.) hit the go-ahead three-pointer with 1:56 left in regulation to give Lycoming the victory over the Blue Jays. The game was a defensive battle from the beginning with the blue and gold up 30-28 at the half. Nine Warriors recorded steals in the contest, with sophomore James Oberlies (Philadelphia, Pa.) snatching three. E-town missed its final three field-goal attempts including a potential game-winning three-pointer with two seconds remaining.

David Wilson (Pottsville, Pa.) paced the Warriors with a game-high 15 points as Lycoming clinched the top seed in the Commonwealth playoffs. Elizabethtown scored the game's first 10 points, but the Warriors fought back with the next nine points to trail 10-9 in the games opening five minutes.

The second half featured 10 lead changes and eight ties, with Lycoming taking the largest lead for either team at 51-47 on a three-pointer by Anthony with 6:42 left. Down the stretch, Jemayne Nowlin (Gaithersburg, Md.) had a key blocked shot, while Greg Sye (Chantilly, Va.) made a crucial lay-up.

The Warriors play their final home game of the season on Saturday, Feb. 23 against Lebanon Valley at Lamade Gymnasium at 3 p.m. It will be Senior Day, celebrating the tenure of shooting guards Dave Wilson and Kevin Morris (Camp Hill, Pa.). The Playoffs will then begin on Wednesday, Feb. 27 at Lamade Gym on Lycoming’s campus.