Box Score WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Sr.,
Cory Blake (West Chester, Pa./Rustin) led the charge for West Chester, scoring a game high 25-points, but East Stroudsburg scored the final six points of the contest to come away with an 82-76 victory inside Hollinger Field House Wednesday evening.
The Golden Ram's (14-12, 12-8 PSAC), who entered the tilt tied for second place in the PSAC Eastern Division standings, snapped a seven-game winning streak that they carried since losing to the Warriors a month ago. East Stroudsburg (17-8, 15-5 PSAC), who wrapped up its third straight PSAC East crown Wednesday, got a big 3-pointer from Jamal Nwaniemeka with 54 seconds remaining that broke a 76-all tie and ignited the late run by the Warriors.
After making two crucial free throws down the stretch, and then grabbing a defensive rebound and laying it up at the other end, Blake would make the extra point and erase an 8-0 run by the Warriors in earlier minutes down the stretch. It went back and forth from there until both teams were knotted up at 66 with five minutes and change to go in the game.
The frenetic style of play and speed at which the action passed was similar to a Division I matchup as both teams were tied 76-76 with less than a minute to go in regulation. That is when Nwaniemeka hit his critical 3-pointer, and West Chester was forced to foul when a potential game-tying 3-ball from the top of the key by
Parrish Grant (Philadelphia, Pa. / Imhotep Charter) rimmed out with 24 ticks left.
Frans was the go-to guy down low in the paint. He finished second on the team with 15 points, while posting six rebounds.
West Chester went into the break down 34-30, after a Whis Grant three extended the Warriors' lead to four.
Grant and
Thomas White (Chester, Pa./Penn Wood) put up nine points each in the loss.
Matt Wiseley (Emmaus, Pa./Emmaus) followed with seven points, while grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds.
Warriors' Matt Tobin scored a team-high 22 points and seven assists in the win. Rasheed Moore added 15 points, shooting 4-for-8 from the field, to go with seven rebounds. Nwaniemeka chipped in with 11 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals in the process.
The Golden Rams will head down the road for a match-up with cross-county rival Cheyney on Saturday at 3 p.m. Then, West Chester heads back to Hollinger Field House for the exciting conclusion of the regular season against Mansfield on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. on Senior Night when the Rams honor both Blake and Frans.
