Men's basketball: Orange finishes fourth at national tournament
Region 15 champion SUNY Orange headed to junior college nationals believing it had as good a shot at the title as any of the other 15 schools participating.
Two opening wins put the sixth-seeded Colts in prime position for the championship but good fortune ran out and Orange had to settle for fourth place following two setbacks at the NJCAA Division II men’s basketball tourney in Danville, Ill.
The program’s 31 wins (against three losses) ranked second in the nation and established a school record. It was the first time the Colts had won two winners’ bracket games at the Div. II event and their highest finish.
Orange was locked in a tight semifinal affair with No. 7 Milwaukee Area Tech late Friday evening. Mikale Stevenson banked in a 3-pointer with 28 seconds to play to break a 74-74 tie. Tech (31-4) prevailed 79-76, and went on to beat Macomb 86-65 for the championship on Saturday.
Washingtonville graduate Romeo Aquino – playing on an injured ankle – scored with 6.7 seconds remaining but Stevenson hit two free throws with 3.9 seconds left. Middletown’s Keon Gill’s half-court shot at the buzzer was off the mark.
For the Colts, regional MVP Aquino posted 17 points and 10 rebounds, Gill had 15 points, O’Neill grad Darius Boben 12 and Chester’s Kevin Stein 10.
Relegated to the third-place contest on Saturday evening, Orange bowed to No. 4 seed Danville Area 74-65. Orange had to play without Aquino.
The Colts trailed 41-39 early in the second half before Danville Area hit five 3-pointers during a 17-5 scoring run for a 58-44 lead with 9:07 to play. Orange closed to within 60-54 with 5:17 left but Danville hit 11 of 16 free throws down the stretch to stave off the Colts.
Stein hit six 3-pointers and led Orange with 22 points. All-tourney selection Gill scored 15. Newburgh grad George Patsalos, starting in place of Aquino, had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Orange opened the tournament with an 85-63 win over Scottsdale on Wednesday.
The Colts followed with a 102-87 quarterfinal win over Henry Ford on Thursday, marking the second-highest regulation point total in the five-day tournament. Gill scored 34, Aquino 24, Boben 16, Pine Bush’s Tim Linton 14 and Stein 11.
Twitter: @KenMcMillanTHR
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: NJCAA Division II men's basketball tournament SUNY Orange
