NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The Monroe College men’s basketball team had a bittersweet weekend as they hosted the Region 15 Championship. The Mustangs defeated ASA College 77-75 in the semifinal on Saturday, but saw their season come to an end with an 82-78 loss to Harcum in the final on Sunday.
Monroe vs. ASA
In the latest chapter of a storied rivalry between a pair of New York City schools, the game came down to a surreal ending that would have the Montagues and the Capulets jealous. Monroe led 77-75 with a second left. After a timeout, the Avengers took the ball on the baseline, having to go the length of the court and hope for a desperation toss. Victor Corranza, a reserve player who finished with eight points, was going to inbound the ball. After getting the ball from the referee adn the standing room only crowd rising to a crescendo, Corranza stepped over the inbounds line, forcing a turnover and giving Monroe the ball back. The Mustangs ran out the clock and won 77-75.
In front of a raucous, overflowing crowd at the Monroe Athletic Complex, both sides fed of the intensity of the crowd. The Monroe College Mighty Mustangs marching band also revved up the pressure in the area that was palpable throughout the action.
The game was back and forth early on as the game was tied at 14-all just seven minutes into action. Monroe took a 4-0 lead on baskets by Jarron Chapman and Shackquiel Scott. Neither side could gain a foothold on the game for the remainder of the half. At one point, ASA led by four points, but Monroe would counter and take their own four-point-advantage. The game would be knotted at 37-37 with 1:08. The Avengers scored the final five points of the half to lead 42-37 at the break.
The five-point ASA cushion quickly evaporated in the second half when the Region XV Player of the Year, Will Tavares, showed very briefly, that he was the best player on the floor. He opened the half by dribbling away from traffic and nailing a three-pointer. On the next Monroe possession, Tavares used a crossover dribble to juke a defender and hit a step-back trifecta to bury a second-straight trifecta. At 18:15, the Mustangs led 48-47.
The game would be tied once again at the 14:44 mark. Monroe took the lead for good on a Tavares jumper nearly thirty seconds later. The lead got up to ten points when a Taquan Givens steal led to a Ran Tut layup that made the score 67-57 with 7:35 remaining. ASA chipped away at the lead and got within two points when Corranza turned the ball over. Monroe held on for the 77-75 win.
In the game, Tavares led all scorers with 20 points on 8-15 shooting including 3-4 from the three-point line. Chapman finished with ten on 5-8 shooting. Tyler Ancrum had nine points to coincide with five assists.
MONROE VS HARCUM
Twenty-four hours later, Monroe had to face another nemesis in the final against Harcum College. The Bears bested the Mustangs on two previous occasions earlier in the season. They took the rubber match between the two sides, 82-78, in a hard-fought denouement that nearly lived up to the Monroe-ASA tilt a day earlier.
It was Harcum whom controlled action early on in this one, building a 10-5 lead in the first 3:30 of play. Monroe would eventually gain the lead, 15-14 on a driving layup from Tavares inside of 13 minutes. The lead grew to six points on a pair of Lawahn Lewis free throws. He later buried a three-pointer to push the advantage to nine. Harcum fought back to lead 41-38 at the break.
With the score even at 45-all at the 15:48 mark of the second half, the Mustangs rattled off five-straight points to grab a 50-45 lead. A Tavares theft led to a Scott jumper and the ensuing possession ended with a Tavares three. Harcum later tied the game at 55-55 with ten minutes remaining.
The final segment of the half saw two evenly-matched teams battle for control. The score would be even three more times before the Bears slowly built a nine-point advantage. Not to be deterred, Monroe answered and got as close as one point when Ancrum found Givens for a three-pointer to make the score 79-78, Harcum, with 0:39 left. Monroe had to foul the rest of the way and Harcum won 82-78.
In this contest, Tavares once again led all scorers with 22 points. Ran Tut came off the bench to score 13, Scott chipped in with 11 and Ancrum had 10. The Monroe College men’s basketball team finished the 2015-16 campaign with an overall record of 21-9.