WEST CHESTER, Pa.-Jordan Kellier (Kingston, Jamaica/Redemption Christian) picked up his sixth double-double in as many games, scoring 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting as one of four Golden Rams in double figures while also grabbing 16 rebounds, but it was not enough to help West Chester (13-8, 10-5) defeat Lock Haven (14-6, 12-3) on Saturday afternoon in Hollinger Field House as the Bald Eagles escaped with a 78-77 victory.
In a game that featured four ties and six lead changes, West Chester found itself behind for much of the afternoon, trailing by as many as 11 in the first half and by five for the better part of the second half. Despite this, West Chester held a late lead on Saturday, pulling ahead to a 77-76 with just over 30 seconds to play after a 6-0 run in 30 seconds that featured a pair of made threes by
Robert Smith (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) and Kellier. Justice Shoats spoiled the West Chester comeback effort, hitting a clutch driving layup with just under five seconds to play, which gave the Bald Eagles their decisive 78-77 advantage.
Smith finished with 20 points of his own on 6-of-12 shooting as he joined Kellier in double figures as two of four Golden Rams with 10 or more in the setback.
Elijah Allen (Dover, Del./Dover) finished with 14 points, while
Anthony Purnell Jr. (Chester, Pa./Kiski) finished with 10 of his own in the setback.
The first half got off to a fun start on Saturday afternoon as the two sides traded makes early, as the two teams were tied at 7-7 three minutes into regulation. Lock Haven went on its first run of the game from this point, stretching its lead to 22-11 with 12:30 to play until halftime.
Kellier hit a driving layup with 12 minutes to play in the first half, and this sparked a 12-0 run, which was punctuated by a long-distance three from Smith as the Golden Rams reclaimed a 23-22 lead with 8:34 to play.
West Chester and Lock Haven traded baskets briefly, but the visitors closed the half on another run to take a 40-34 lead into the halftime break.
Kellier led West Chester in scoring in the first half, finishing with 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting and 10 rebounds for an early double-double.
West Chester opened the second half on a 5-0 run, which cut the deficit to 40-39, but Lock Haven continued to hold a slim lead, leading 44-42 at the first media timeout of the second half with 15:53 to play.
The Golden Rams remained close as the second half continued, consistently finding themselves within five points of the Bald Eagles, but the hosts struggled to close the gap any further as Lock Haven held a 63-55 lead with 6:31 to play in regulation.
West Chester continued to cut into the Lock Haven lead down the stretch as a Smith three with 51 seconds to play cut the deficit to 76-74 before a Kellier three with 35 seconds to play gave the Golden Rams their first lead since there was 6:56 to play in the first half.
Leading 77-76 with just over 30 seconds to play, Smith came up with a massive block for West Chester on a three-point shot attempt by the Bald Eagles, which led to a scrum for the rebound in the lane. The arrow showed in Lock Haven's favor, and the Bald Eagles retained possession with 10 seconds to play. Shoats played the hero from this point, driving down the lane and hitting an acrobatic layup to give his Bald Eagles a 78-77 lead. Shoats was also fouled on the shot, sending him to the line for a chance to make it a two-point lead.
Perhaps wisely, Shoats missed his free throw, forcing West Chester to drive the length of the floor with no timeouts and just over four seconds to play. Kellier secured his 16
th rebound of the night and pushed West Chester up the floor but his pass to the corner was deflected, stopping the break and allowing Lock Haven to escape with the one-point victory.
West Chester shot 40.6 % (26-of-64) from the field and 37.5 % (9-of-24) from three-point range in the setback while also converting 16-of-22 (72.7 %) at the line in the setback.
For Lock Haven, Shoats finished with a game-high 23 and was one of three Bald Eagles in double figures as Dyson Harward added 20 of his own along with a team-high nine rebounds, while Mike Knouse chipped in 10 points in the victory.
As a team, Lock Haven shot a solid 50.9 % (28-of-55) from the field, including a 7-for-21 (33.3 %) effort from three-point territory, while also connecting on 55.6 % (15-of-27) from the stripe to complete its first sweep of West Chester since the 2016-17 season.
West Chester ended the game with a 42-31 lead on the glass, including a 13-5 lead in offensive rebounds, which translated into a 17-7 lead in second-chance points. West Chester also finished the game with an 11-9 lead in points off the break, while its visitors ended Saturday afternoon with a 20-11 lead in points off turnovers, a 42-20 lead in points in the paint, and a 7-6 lead in points off the bench.
Up Next:
West Chester will take to the road for its next two games, visiting Shepherd on Wednesday night at 7:30 before traveling to East Stroudsburg next Saturday at 3 p.m. The Golden Rams will not play in front of their home crowd again until February 14 against Kutztown beginning at 7:30.
