Warriors Move Up with Win Over Kings
Clutch Playmaking by McGair, Pribble, Baylor Leads Way
Box Score

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. --- Lycoming men’s basketball moved one step closer to securing a Freedom Conference playoff berth thanks to a solid effort capped by some clutch playmaking as the Warriors upset league leader King’s College 76-71 on Wednesday evening.  Lycoming improves to 13-9 overall, 7-4 in conference play and moves into a tie with Wilkes University for the third spot in the standings.  King’s falls to 14-8, 8-3 and into a tie with Scranton atop the league fixtures.

Unlike much of the season when the final minutes had their way with them, the Warriors made every second of the waning moments of an inspired game-long effort stand up in Lamade Gymnasium.  Sophomore big man Matt McGair (Mt. Laurel, N.J./Moorestown) stepped up big with valuable minutes off the bench, but his most important contribution came at the 3:49 mark when he climbed above a Monarch defender to corral his fourth offensive board of the game.  Following the ensuing timeout called by head coach Don Friday, senior Jonathan Pribble (Woolrich, Pa./Central Mountain) swirled a three-point try around the rim and in to give the Warriors a 69-65 lead with 3:34 left.

Lycoming’s standout forward duplicated the effort on the Warriors’ next trip down the floor, although this trey was from a little farther out and found nothing but a handful of twine.  After King’s pulled to within three at 72-69, senior Patrick Baylor (Broomall, Pa./Cardinal O’Hara) drove down the left side of the lane and flipped shot clock-high toss into the air that sank straight through the bottom of the net for a 74-69 lead with 18 seconds to play.

Following a Monarch lay-up from John Soboleski, senior point guard Brad Musser (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg) sealed the deal with a pair of free tosses with a few ticks left on the clock.

Pribble claimed the second half as his own stage for the second time in three games as he notched 15 of his game-high 24 points in the latter 20 minutes of play.  He shot 7-of-15 from the field, including 4-for-7 from deep, and pulled down five rebounds.  Freshman Greg Sye (Chantilly, Va./Chantilly) continued his strong interior play with 13 points and eight rebounds.  Sophomore Kevin Morris (Camp Hill, Pa./Trinity) notched all 13 of his points in the first half, most of which came via four three-pointers.  McGair, with a solid 16 minutes off the bench, grabbed six boards for the game with four off the offensive glass.  Musser dropped in eight points to go along with seven assists against only one turnover.

Vince Scalvo led four Monarchs in double figures with 18 points thanks to a 10-of-14 showing from the foul line.  Point guard Jamie Cousart dropped in 14 points but committed seven costly turnovers.  Jim Welsh made all four of his three-pointers to tally 14 as well, and Soboleski notched 10 points and eight rebounds.

Morris set the tone for the evening by canning his first trey of the night on the game’s first shot as the Warriors controlled much of the early going on the way to an 8-2 lead with 16:21 to play.  Four points from Scalzo and a Thomas Moore lay-up quickly tied the score before the two teams bucked the lead back and forth over the next several minutes.

Lycoming opened up some breathing room when Morris hit two successive three-pointers for a 19-15 advantage before he extended the lead to eight with yet another make from beyond the arc for a 25-17 edge with 7:20 on the clock.

King’s made a run before the half to overtake the Warriors at the 3:03 mark.  The lead was again traded back and forth until the Monarch’s went into the half up one at 39-38.

The opening half’s trends continued in to the second frame with the Warriors climbing to a 45-40 lead just a little over two minutes into play, but King’s quickly made up the difference.  After another tug-of-war over the lead, Lycoming enjoyed a pair of seven-point cushions following sophomore Dave Wilson’s (Pottsville, Pa./Pottsville) three-pointer for a 58-51 edge and a McGair lay-up for a 60-53 advantage with 10:38 to play.

A Soboleski lay-up led the Monarch’s on one final charge as they tied and overtook Lycoming with 6:33 remaining following a driving score by Cousart.  Pribble caused the game’s sixth tied score with a jumper on the next possession, but Scalvo converted the front end of a two free throws for a 65-64 lead.

Sye gave the Warriors the lead for good on their next trip down the court with an easy lay-up off a wing assist from McGair.

The Warriors are next in action on Saturday, February 11, as the Lycoming travels to DeSales University for an important Freedom Conference match up.  Due to their 77-69 win over Lycoming earlier in the season, the Bulldogs currently hold the upper hand in conference tie-breaking scenarios.  A Warrior victory would eliminate that advantage and cause further examination in the case of a season-ending tie in the standings.  Game time in Allentown is set for 3:00 p.m.