11/1/08 - Lackawanna defeats Luzerne County CC 83-72
The Lackawanna College Falcons opened up their season by hosting Luzerne County Community College. The Falcons had 4 players in double figures, sophomore Marcus Ashton (Washington DC/ Redlands CC) led all scorers with 31 points in his Falcon debut. Londell Nimmons (Easton, PA/ Easton HS) scored 16 points, while Kevin Stewart (Sharon Hill, PA/ Academy Park HS) and Brandon Robinson (Chester, PA/ Chester HS) each had 10 points in Lackawanna College's 83-72 victory.
The Lackawanna College Falcons traveled down the PA Turnpike to face their first road opponent Tuesday night to face the Lehigh Carbon Community College Cougars. The Falcons took a comfortable lead midway through the 1st half and never trailed. Lackawanna's sophomore guard Marcus Ashton (Washington DC/ Redlands CC) led all scorers with 34 points to go along with his 4 assists. Sophomore guard Kevin Stewart (Sharon Hill, PA/ Academy Park HS) chipped in 14 points and 3 assists, and Xavien Burleson (Bryan, TX/ Parkway Christian HS) came off the bench to score 12 points, all in the second half.
The Cougars were led by Kurt Richard with 23 points, who made a late run to cut the lead to 11 points before the Falcons pulled away to a 96-80 victory to improve to 2-0 on the season. Lackawanna shot 22-29 from the free throw line and knocked down 10 three pointers for the game.
The Falcons flew down to Florida this past weekend to play in the Palm Beach Classic. During the two day event Lackawanna opened up against Broward CC. Marcus Ashton (Washington DC/ Redlands CC) paced the Falcons with 32 points, including 21 in the second half. Kevin Stewart (Sharon Hill, PA/ Academy Park HS) added 14 points and Anthony King (Folcroft PA/ Academy Park HS) provided a spark off the bench scoring 10. With the score 37-33 at the half, Lackawanna held onto the lead and won 77-70, improving to 3-0 on the year.
The second game of the Palm Beach Classic, the unbeaten Falcons went up against the Sporting News #3 ranked Division 1 Junior College, Miami-Dade CC. The game opened up fast paced with multiple lead changes ending with Lackawanna up by 1 at the half, 45-44. Lackawanna was led early by Kevin Stewart (Sharon Hill, PA/ Academy Park HS) who hit 4 three pointers and scored 14 of his game high 18 points in the first half.
With three minutes left in the game, Miami-Dade broke a 75-75 tie, and held on for a 84-77 win. The Falcons had three other players score in double figures, Elie Daniel (Philadelphia, PA/ Upper Darby HS) had 12 points, Marcus Ashton (Washington DC/ Redlands CC) had 17 points, and Anthony King (Folcroft PA/ Academy Park HS) scored 10 points.
Lackawanna College will host their own tournament this weekend 11/15-11/16.
Dean College, Globe Institute of Technology, and Technical Career Institute all traveled to the Lackawanna College Student Union to take part in the Lackawanna College Classic. The two day event began at 1 pm as TCI defeated Dean. In the second game Lackawanna took on Globe. The Falcons had 5 players score in double figures, led by Marcus Ashton (Washington DC/ Redlands CC) who connected early from behind the arc and finished with 26 points. Elie Daniel (Philadelphia, PA/Upper Darby HS) had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds and Kevin Stewart (Sharon Hill, PA/ Academy Park HS) handed out 11 assists as he guided the Falcons to a 90-50 rout.
The final game of the Lackawanna College Classic matched Lackawanna College (4-1) up against TCI (4-2). The Falcons were led by strong play from their guards Kevin Stewart (Sharon Hill, PA/ Academy Park HS) and Marcus Ashton (Washington DC/ Redlands CC). Stewart scored 21 points, dished out 12 assists, and pulled down 8 rebounds as he almost recorded a triple double. Ashton led all scorers with 33 points. Brandon Robinson (Chester, PA/ Chester HS) collected 4 offensive rebounds which helped contribute to his season high of 16 points. TCI, who was led by Jameel Jackson with 28 points, led at the half 46-44. The Falcons eventually pulled away to seal the win by a score of 96-84.
The Falcons look to keep their undefeated home record intact as they host Genesse CC, Wednesday 11/19.
The Falcons hosted Genesse CC Wednesday night at the Lackawanna College Student Union. The score was close throughout the game and had multiple lead changes. The first half started out slow and Lackawanna held a 34-33 point lead at halftime. Both teams picked up the intensity in the second half, and Genesse began hitting from beyond the arc as they eventually took the lead and won 90-85. Genesse CC was led by Laiquan Lyons with 26 points. The Falcons were led by Marcus Ashton (Washington DC/ Redlands CC) with 21 points. Geran Pope (Washington DC/Kamit Institute) scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half to go along with his 7 rebounds, and Elie Daniel (Philadelphia, PA/ Upper Darby HS) added 14 points. Lackawanna will look to get back on track as they host Mercer County next Tuesday, November 25th at 7 pm.
The Falcon's final game before the Thanksgiving break came against Mercer Community College. The game did not start well for Lackawanna as Mercer jumped out to a 10-4 lead. Mercer's hot shooting eventually cooled off and Lackawanna pulled away, outscoring Mercer 38-20 in the second half. Marcus Ashton (Washington DC/ Redlands CC) led all scorers with 23 points, Brandon Robinson (Chester, PA/ Chester HS) added 11 points, and Kevin Stewart (Sharon Hill, PA/ Academy Park HS) ran the point well as he tallied 7 points and 6 assists. Lackawanna crashed the boards aggressively; Geran Pope (Washington DC/Kamit Institute) recorded 11 rebounds to go along with his 16 points and Londell Nimmons (Easton PA/Easton HS) added 10 rebounds.
Lackawanna College came back strong after the Thanksgiving break with a 68-57 win on the road over the County College of Morris Titans. The Falcons used a team effort on the glass as they collected 17 offensive rebounds on the game as they improved to 7-2 on the year. A crucial moment at the end of the first half, the Falcons were trailing by 1 with 1 minute remaining, Lackawanna then ripped off 6 straight points capped off by a Kevin Stewart (Sharon Hill, PA/ Academy Park HS) 3 pointer, to make the score 36-31 at halftime. Marcus Ashton (Washington DC/ Redlands CC) and Stewart combined for 8 three pointers and 38 of Lackawanna's 68 points. Geran Pope (Washington DC/Kamit Institute) contributed 9 of his 14 points after the half. Next up for Lackawanna is another road game at Manor College this Saturday, December 6.
12/07/08 -Falcons win OT thriller at Manor College 69-68
As time ran out in regulation Londell Nimmons (Easton, PA/ Easton HS) scored a putback that tied the game at 61. With 9 seconds left in overtime and the game tied 67-67, Manor College hit 1 of 2 free throws to take the lead by 1. Kevin Stewart (Sharon Hill, PA/ Academy Park HS) took the inbounds coast to coast and made the go ahead basket with 3 seconds remaining. Manor was unable to get a shot off in time and Lackawanna came away with the 69-68 win. Marcus Ashton (Washington DC/ Redlands CC) led all scorers with 20 points, while John Gregg (Silver Spring, MD/Bethesda HS) provided a huge spark off the bench as he muscled down 14 rebounds and had 3 blocks. Elie Daniel (Philadelphia, PA/Upper Darby HS) finished the game with 8 points and 7 rebounds, he also had the defensive assignment of shutting down Manor's best players. Stewart finished the game with 14 points and 4 assists.
The Lackawanna College Falcons hosted the College of Southern Maryland Hawks Tuesday night. After a close first half, the Falcons used a 50-30 second half performance to seal the 89-63 win. Marcus Ashton (Washington DC/Redlands CC) led all scorers with 26 points, while Geran Pope (Washington DC/Kamit Institute) tallied a double-double off the bench with 12 points and 15 rebounds. Kevin Stewart (Sharon Hill, PA/Academy Park HS) handed out 7 assists and scored 8 points, and Brandon Robinson (Chester, PA/Chester HS) had 10 points with 4 blocks. The Falcons shot well from the three point range as they connected on 9 threes. The Falcons improved to 9-2 on the year and will face Essex CC at home on Tuesday (12/16) at 7pm.
12/16/08 -Falcons win against Essex Community College 94-85
The Lackawanna College Falcons improved their record to 10-2 on the year with a win over Essex CC, 94-85. The Falcons had five players score in double figures.
Marcus Ashton (Washington DC/ Redlands CC) led all scorers as he tallied 30 points for the game, he connected on three 3 pointers and went 9-12 from the free throw stripe.
Kevin Stewart (Sharon Hill, PA/ Academy Park HS) added 14 points and dished out 4 assists, while Elie Daniel (Philadelphia, PA/Upper Darby HS) chipped in 11 points and 5 assists,
and Brandon Robinson (Chester, PA/ Chester HS) had 10 points and 8 rebounds. Lackawanna got a big boost from their bench as Xavien Burleson (Bryan, TX/ Parkway Christian HS)
had 9 of his 11 points in the second half and John Gregg (Silver Spring, MD/ Bethesda HS) ripped down 14 rebounds to go along with his 9 points. The game started off fast with both teams trading baskets and was tied at the half. Lackawanna used a
48-39 second half advantage as they pulled away in the final minutes of an exciting game. The Falcons will travel down to Maryland this weekend to play in the Cecil Tournament.
Over the holiday break the Lackawanna College Falcons traveled to Northeast, Maryland and Buffalo, New York for two holiday tournaments.
Despite 4 tight close games, the Falcons came home with 4 loses against some of the best competition they have seen all year.
At the Cecil Tournament in Maryland, the Falcons lost to nationally ranked Cecil County College 89-85, Marcus Ashton led all scorers with 37 points, Kevin Stewart added 19 points.
In the consolation game the Falcons came up short against Monroe C.C. of Rochester 99-91, Marcus Ashton led all scorers again with 40 points, John Gregg came off the bench adding 14 points.
The following weekend at the Erie Tournament the Falcons took on TCI in the first round game and battled hard but lost 88-81,
Ashton and Stewart led the team in scoring again with 18 and 16 points respectively. Again Lackawanna found themselves playing in a consolation game against a very tough team.
Cuyahoga CC from Ohio, used a strong second half to get the 82-74 win. Ashton led the team with 20 points, Elie Daniel had 12 and John Gregg finished with 10.
01/03/09 -Lackawanna back on track, Beat Burlington 75-48
Lackawanna College returned home and got a win against Burlington CC to start the New Year. A good first half set the tone as they jumped out to a 12-2 lead, finishing the half up 38-18.
The Falcons shot extremely well from beyond the arc as they connected on 13 three pointers for the game. Elie Daniel who knocked down 5 of those 13 three's finished with a game high 19 points,
Kevins Paul added 14 points and 7 assists. Marcus Ashton tallied 16 points and John Gregg was just shy of another double-double as he finished with 9 points and 13 rebounds.
Lackawanna is back on the road for their next game as they travel to the Bronx, NY as they take on Monroe CC (1/13/09).
01/13/09 -Falcons lose heartbreaker in the Bronx 83-82
Lackawanna College traveled to the Big Apple for a tough road contest against Monroe Community College of the Bronx. Monroe CC had a big home crowd, which proved to be an exciting environment.
The first half was highlighted by an electrifying three point shooting dual between Lackawanna's Marcus Ashton and Monroe's Kyle Wright. Each player came down and hit consecutive three after three,
the home crowd getting louder with each made shot by Wright. This led to a high scoring first half, leaving Monroe up by 1, 46-45. As the pace slowed in the second half,
Monroe creeped to double digit lead with a little under 10 minutes remaining. Lackawanna fought back, and a big 4 point play by Kevin Stewart late in the game kept it close.
Ultimately the Falcons trailed by 1 with 11 seconds remaining and had the ball. A contested jumper by Stewart just missed off the glass, the offensive rebound and putback by John Gregg rolled off the rim,
and the loose ball was knocked around until the time ran out. Marcus Ashton led all scorers with 35 points, Kevin Stewart had 20. The Falcons shot the ball well from 3 point range hitting 11-20,
and from the free throw line (19-26). Lackawanna is back on the road Thursday and hopes to continue their hot shooting at Orange Community College.
The Falcons got a total team effort in their win over Orange CC. Kevins Paul paced Lackawanna as he knocked down 5 three pointers to finish with a season high 17 points.
John Gregg and Marcus Ashton each had 13 points and Kevin Stewart had 8 points. Lackawanna had a 40-25 lead at the half and kept a comfortable lead in the second half.
Ashton had a breakaway windmill dunk late in the second half to highlight the road win. The Falcons get back to regional play as they host Salem CC this Saturday (1/17).
The Falcons got off to a quick start on the road at Essex Community College and took home the win 69-46. With a strong first half performance by Marcus Ashton and great bench scoring,
the Falcons never trailed. Marcus Ashton scored all 17 of his points in the first half, while Xavien Burleson and Anthony King came off the bench to score 10 and 12 points respectively.
Starting center Brandon Robinson had his first double-double of the year as he dominated the paint, he finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Lackawanna College improved their record to 14-7 (7-0) and host Delaware Tech in another key regional match-up this Saturday at 3 pm.
The Falcons (15-7, 8-0) stay unbeaten in Region 19 play as they beat Delaware Tech by 21 points Saturday.
Lackawanna used a strong defensive effort that forced 23 turnovers on the game, along with a hot hand behind the arc, shooting 9-19 from three.
Marcus Ashton and Kevin Stewart each scored 20 points, Kevins Paul contributed 11 points off the bench, while Brandon Robinson scored 10 points and grabbed 7 rebounds.
Lackawanna's next game will be back on the road at Salem CC Tuesday night at 8pm.
Playing against a shorthanded Salem CC team on the road the Falcons took care of business. Jumping out to a early 20 point lead in the opening 6 minutes,
Lackawanna coasted to an easy victory. All Falcon players that played scored, including five players in double figures. Marcus Ashton led all scorers with 20, Kevin Stewart finished with 15 points,
Kevins Paul had 14 points with 4 three pointers. The bigs had solid games as well, Brandon Robinson had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds,
John Greg grabbed 13 rebounds, and Londell Nimmons finished with 10 points. Next up for Lackawanna is another road test at Mercer CC Thursday 1/29.
The Falcons jumped out to a 18-6 lead with another good start, Mercer kept it close as the score was 34-19 at the half.
Marcus Ashton had 16 points and John Gregg scored 12 points to go along with his 10 rebounds to pace the Falcons. Anthony King came off the bench to add 14 points.
Lackawanna only committed 12 turnovers on the game, which helped keep the lead over Mercer comfortable.
Lackawanna's next game will be back at home against CC of Morris in another Region 19 game (2/2/2009).
The Falcons got off to another quick start against CC of Morris. Lackawanna used a stellar first half performance by Brandon Robinson,
who scored 16 points on 8-8 shooting from the field. Robinson finished the game with a career high 26 points to go along with his 9 rebounds and 5 blocks.
Kevin Stewart benefited from Lackawanna's high field goal percentage as he handed out 8 assists, he also finished with 14 points.
Londell Nimmons grabbed 10 boards, John Gregg came off the bench to add 12 points, and Maurice Anderson had a career high 10 points.
Lackawanna College will travel to Delaware Tech this Thursday (2/5) to play a pivotal Region 19 game.
02/05/09 -Falcons Clinch #1 Seed for Region 19 Tournament
With a 72-61 win at Delaware Tech, the Falcons have mathematically won the regular season Region 19 title, at 19-7 overall and 12-0 in region play.
Lackawanna got solid play from their starting backcourt. Kevin Stewart, Marcus Ashton, and Elie Daniel combined for 46 of 72 points and all 6 of the Falcon's three pointers.
Stewart had 16 points and 6 assists, Ashton led all scorers with 18 points, and Daniel finished with 12 points and 9 rebounds. The Falcon's bench came up big again,
Anthony King scored 10 points and John Gregg just missed another double double as he finished with 8 points and 11 rebounds.
Lackawanna College's next game is back on the road at Burlington this Saturday.
02/07/09 -Lackawanna College Wins Final Region Road Game
The Falcons improved their record to 20-7 (13-0 in Region 19 play) on the year with the 67-51 victory at Burlington Community College.
Kevin Stewart led Lackawanna with 20 points, Marcus Ashton had 15 points and 5 assists, and Elie Daniel had 10 points. The Falcons play their final two home games this week,
Tuesday against Harcum and Saturday as they host Manor.
Lackawanna College had a huge boost from an enthusiastic home crowd to overcome rival Harcum College by a score of 90-80.
Marcus Ashton got to the free throw line early and often as he shot 16-21 from the charity stripe. As a team the Falcons shot 25-30 from the line and knocked down 9 three's.
Ashton dropped 37 points in this first of two games against Harcum, Kevin Stewart had 17 points and 5 assists, and Elie Daniel had the games first 6 points and finished with 11.
Anthony King came off the bench to score 10 points and grab 8 rebounds. John Gregg sealed the win with a thunderous dunk in the closing minutes.
This Saturday is Sophomore Night, the team will be honoring this years sophomore graduating class before the game against Manor.
The game starts at 3 pm, please come out and support our Sophomores in their final home game!
02/14/09 -Lackawanna Beats Manor In Final Home Game 72-53
In the Falcon's final home game of the season, they received stellar efforts from their four graduating sophomores.
Kevin Stewart had 16 points (7-7 from the free throw line) and 8 assists on his final day at the Lackawanna Student Union Center and Marcus Ashton knocked down 5 threes as he finished with 17 points.
John Gregg pulled down a season high 17 rebounds and Elie Daniel finished with 7 points. The team finished with 10 three pointers for the game.
With the win Lackawanna College improves their record to 22-7 (14-0 in Region 19 play). The Falcons travel down to the PA Turnpike to play Harcum in their season finale this Tuesday at 7 pm.
02/17/09 -Falcons Beat Harcum 90-86 To End Regular Season
With another great team effort, the Falcons closed out their regular season Tuesday night with a hard fought win at rival Harcum.
Four Lackawanna players were in double figures, Marcus Ashton led all scorers with 24 points, Kevin Stewart scored 17 points on 5 three pointers while handing out 8 assists,
and Elie Daniel hit 4 threes and finished with 14 points. The bigs were well represented as well, Brandon Robinson was a perfect 5-5 from the field and 4-4 from the line to finish with 14 points,
and John Gregg came off the bench and just missed another double-double with 9 points and 10 rebounds.
Lackawanna will wait to find out who they will play in the semifinal round of the Region 19 tournament on Feburary 26th at the County College of Morris (NJ).
02/23/09 -Lackawanna earns the top seed in Region XIX Tourny
The Lackawanna College Men's Basketball team earned the top seed in the 2009 Region 19 tournament. After finishing 23-7 overall and 14-0 in Region 19 the Falcons won the Region 19 regular season championship.
They will be traveling to CC of Morris Thursday Feb 26th to play Manor College at 7pm. LC is the #1 overall seed and will play its first game since the February 17th road win vs Division I foe Harcum.
Manor (#5 seed) advanced to Thursdays game after beating Burlington in the first round of the playoffs. The falcons have won 13 of the last 14 and are 7-0 in the month of February.
In the other semi-final game #2 Del Tech will play #6 Essex at 5pm at CC of Morris. The winners will meet for the Region 19 finals on Saturday February 28th at 3pm at CC of Morris.
02/25/09 -Lackawanna plays Manor in Tournament Semifinal
The men's basketball team of Lackawanna College kicks off their postseason play in the Region XIX Division II Men's Basketball Tournament, with a semi final contest against Manor College (Jenkintown, Pennsylvania).
Lackawanna College earned a bye into this game by claiming the first place seed in the six team tournament with a perfect 14-0 win loss Division II record. Manor gained the opportunity to play the Falcons by beating Mercer County Community College by a score of 58-57 in the Region Quarterfinal.
During the regular season, Lackawanna defeated Manor twice by scores of 69-68 (in overtime Manor College) and 72-53 in the contest played at the Lackawanna College Student Union. The winner will proceed to the finals to play against the winner of the Del Tech Stanton / Essex County College game.
The semi final contest will be played at County College of Morris in Randolph, New Jersey on Thursday, February 26, 2009. A 7:00 PM tipoff is scheduled. The Tournament's final contest will be played at County College of Morris on Saturday, February 28, 2009 at 3:00 PM.
02/26/09 -Falcons Advance to Region 19 Championship Game
After a 1st round bye in the Region 19 tournament, Lackawanna College traveled to the tournament host, CC of Morris to take on Manor College in the semifinal round.
Neither team could build a substantial lead throughout the early parts of the game as Lackawanna led 36-29 at the half. The Falcons were paced by their 1St Team All Region point guard Kevin Stewart all night.
Stewart had 15 points at the half and finished with a career high 29. Every time Manor made a run, Stewart took over and scored a timely bucket to keep the Falcons ahead.
At one point Manor cut the lead to 3, 52-49 midway through the second half. Following a timeout Lackawanna stormed back and finished the game outscoring Manor 32-17 to secure the 84-66 win.
The Falcons got 16 points from the Region Player of the Year Marcus Ashton and 14 points from forward Brandon Robinson.
Lackawanna takes on Delaware Tech on Saturday at 3 pm for the Region 19 Championship.
05/01/09 -Men's Basketball Banquet Scheduled for May 6th
The 2008-2009 Lackawanna men's basketball program will be honored this Wednesday at the Lackawanna College Reception Hall. The banquet will begin at 6 pm and will feature the team's four graduating sophomores, Marcus Ashton, Elie Daniel, John Gregg, and Kevin Stewart.
The Team MVP award will be given out as well as All-Region and All-American selection awards.
05/07/09 -Four Sophomores Honored at Basketball Banquet
Head coach Mike Netti presented the MVP award to sophomore Marcus Ashton Wednesday night at the 2008-2009 Men's Basketball Banquet. Sophomore Kevin Stewart was honored by Lackawanna College President Mr. Angeli with the Margaret "Peg" Tobin Sportsmanship Award. Along with Kevin and Marcus, Co-Captain Elie Daniel and John Gregg were honored as the team's graduating sophomores.
Marcus finished the year leading the Falcons and the Region in scoring with 709 points, an average of 22.1 points per game. He also led the team with 243 field goals made, 74 from three point range. He had a career high of 40 points at the Cecil Tournament against Monroe College of Rochester. In addition Marcus also received his 1st Team All-Region XIX and 2nd Team All-American awards.
Kevin was also presented with his 1st Team All-Region XIX award, as he once again led the Falcons and the Region in assists per game 5.9, to go along with his 12.9 points per game. Kevin had his best game in the Region Semi-final round against Manor College where he poured in 29 points to lead the Falcons to the Championship game.
Elie Daniel finished the year strong averaging 8 points per game and 4.1 rebounds per game. He had a career high 19 points against Burlington Community College. Elie, like Kevin, has been a solid contributor here at Lackawanna College for the past 2 seasons and his effort and dedication will be hard to replace next year.
John Gregg joined the team late due to football, but he didn't let that slow him down on the basketball court. John quickly became a dominant presence under the basket. He led the Falcons with 7.9 rebounds per game. He totaled a career high 17 rebounds against Manor College.
Who will you miss the most from last years roster?
I will probbly miss Eli Daniel because he's a player who was easy going and never gave any problems. For a young coach you want to coach a guy who comes in the gym ready to work and get better.
What game sticks out in your mind from last season?
The game that sticks out is the Miami Dade game. Although we came up short we played well enough to win and I think that's how I knew our team was going to be special. We didn't back down from those guys and I think from that point our team got the confidence to go out every game time and compete
What is your impression on the changes to the arena?
The charges are an upgrade from this past season. The lighting in the facilities are brighter and the seating is awesome. We have brand new basketball goals with the NBA style shot clock light.
What practice drill did you enjoy the most from last season’s practices?
There were a several drills that I like but the one that I like the most would had to been shell drill. For starters I'm not to sure how many teams do this everyday. But for our team it played a major role in why our success was so great, go Falcons!
What summer basketball camp or tournament impressed you the most during July?
I actually enjoyed the great American shootout in Denton, tx. It was a great opportunity to see some of the nations top players from the southern region. It was also a great place to meet division 1 coaches from the highest and lowest levels. That tournament is intense it's like over 300 teams.
What NBA player will have a breakout season in 2010?
I believe Daren Williams who plays for Utah jazz will have a MVP type season. He finished up really well last season after playing for the gold metal winning team USA. I'm not sure if he can carry the Jazz to the promise but he's individual stats will be pretty darn good.
11/2/09
The Falcons opened up their season at home Tuesday night against Lehigh Carbon CC. Lackawanna was looking to build on last season’s 24-8 record, Lehigh Carbon was also looking to start the season off well for their new head coach, former Philadelphia 76er great Darryl Dawkins. Lackawanna took the early lead and never looked back, leading 63-23 at the half and eventually cruising to a 114-60 win. The Falcons shot the ball extremely well, as a team they hit on 45-78 (58%) from the field, including 11-22 from three point range. All 9 players scored at least 7 points or more, while 6 players reached double digits. Sophomore Shedrick Haynes made his Falcon debut leading the team in scoring with 18 points, sophomore Londell Nimmons had 17, freshman Kevin Jones had 13, and Kevins Paul nearly recorded a triple double with 17 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds. Freshman Wayne Griffin and sophomore Dontel Sayles came off the bench to score a combined 28 points. Freshman Thomas White grabbed 15 rebounds to lead the Falcons on the boards. With the hot shooting came plenty of assists, a total of 38. Lackawanna will face a tough challenge this week when they face three talented Division 1 Junior Colleges from Florida when they travel south for the Palm Beach Classic.
Nov. 5th – 7th
The Falcons flew down to Palm Beach late Tuesday night and began preparing Wednesday for their 3 game road trip. Thursday came the first test as the team drove across the state to play Hillsborough CC at their Tampa campus. Hillsborough had been a nationally ranked Division 1 program in previous years and have a roster full of talented players. Lackawanna played tough early and had the lead at the half by one. Hillsborough built a 12 point lead as Faisel Aden came out hot, scoring 16 of his game high 30 points in the first 10 minutes of the second half. The Falcons turned up the heat and chipped away at the deficit and took a 2 point lead with 2 minutes to play. The pressure forced Hillsborough into tough shots late in the shot-clock and they would not score in the final minute as Lackawanna sealed their first road victory of the season 80-76. “This is a great early season win for our program,” Coach Mike Netti said about his team after the game. “Now we have to build on it”. Shedrick Haynes led Lackawanna with 21 points, freshman Angel Ayala finished with 20 points and 8 assists, and Thomas White came off the bench to add 11 points and 9 rebounds.
The team then traveled back to Palm Beach for Friday’s game against the home team of the event, Palm Beach CC. The home rims certainly were kind to the home team as Palm Beach shot the lights out from start to finish, they knocked down 16 three pointers in a 101-87 win over Lackawanna. Shedrick Haynes and Tarron Stewart had 27 and 20 points respectively for the Falcons but it wasn’t enough, Palm Beach had 5 players score over 15 points, each player connecting on 2 or more three pointers.
At 2-1 and with a scoring average of 93.7 points per game, Lackawanna faced their 3rd opponent in as many days against Broward CC. The pace slowed a bit in this third game, as Broward utilized their size with two big men down low, Devyn Erwin and Kervin Bristol. The duo scored a 35 of the teams 64, and their size caused some trouble for the Falcons as Broward snuck away with the 64-61 win. Angel Ayala had another strong all around game with 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. Shedrick Haynes again led all scorers with 22.
Next up for Lackawanna (2-2) will be back on the road at the College of Southern Maryland on 11/16, they will be looking to get back on track against a fellow Division 2 opponent.
