PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – For the past two seasons, the Plattsburgh State men's basketball team finished as the number-two seed for the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Men's Basketball Championship Tournament and proceeded to finish as the tournament runner-up each time – losing to the number-one overall seed on their respective home courts.
Now, bolstered by a pair of magnificent performances by seniors Reggie Williams and Shamoy McIntosh on Friday night, it's the officially the Cardinals' turn to play host to the rest of the league and to try and reverse their fortunes in front of a pro-Plattsburgh State congregation.
Williams turned in another dazzling outing down low, roasting The College at Brockport for game-highs in points (21) and rebounds (16) while McIntosh added 18 more as the Cardinals clinched the SUNYAC regular season championship as well as hosting rights for the 2015 SUNYAC Men's Basketball Championship Tournament with a 60-45 victory over the Golden Eagles.
Despite being the owner of the major statistical oddity during the victory, the Cardinals upped their record to 18-6 and 13-4 in SUNYAC tilts while the Golden Eagles slipped to 13-11 and 10-7 in the conference. Plattsburgh State failed to knock down a three-point field goal on Friday night, marking the first time that has occurred since the Cardinals faced off against Oneonta State on December 4, 2010.
To put it simply, Williams and McIntosh were forces to be reckoned with in a final 20 minutes which saw the Cardinals shoot 51.8-percent (14-for-27) from the field to help a two-point halftime lead balloon to as many as 17 by the time things were said and done. With the help of Williams, the Cardinals destroyed the Golden Eagles on the glass, out-rebounding them by a 48-23 margin.
Offense wasn't exactly the order du jour in the initial 20 minutes of action as the two squads combined to net 44 points on 16-for-47 (34-percent) accuracy from the field. As a matter of fact, it was the Golden Eagles who soared out to an early lead as they opened the ballgame on the strength of an 11-3 surge which featured seven points from Clifton Lyerly in the first 6:32.
As the Cardinals offense sputtered and stammered along for that fearsome first few minutes, Plattsburgh State finally revved the engine long enough for it to spark and ignite the home team. Williams hefted his 6'6 frame through the paint and remained nimble on his toes to sling in a layup which kick-started an 18-5 scoring blitz that put the home team atop the scoreboard for good.
Along the way, the Cardinal faithful observed a pair of memorable sights in the form of fast-break one-handed slams by Xavier Thomas and Kyle Richardson before Ezra Hodgson topped off the spree with a smooth operation down low which resulted in a layup and a 21-16 Cardinal lead with 2:09 to go in the first.
Matthew Smith, though, commandeered things just long enough to bring his squad within two at the half. A three-point bomb and a fast-break layup after a theft in the closing seconds trimmed the home team's edge to 23-21 at the half.
Inconvenienced by a pair of fouls early on in the opening movement, senior Jordan Moody made his presence felt at the onset of the deciding frame by accounting for the first three Plattsburgh State points on a step-back jumper and a free throw make.
After obtaining some separation from the Cardinals' defensive opposition, Aaron White dropped in a mid-range job to bring Brockport within one, 26-25, 2:13 in, but that's as close as the visitors would get the rest of the way.
Patrick Modzelewski learned the hard way not to bring the ball down the lane when Williams was stationed near the tin. With the home team in the midst of a 7-0 surge after three free throw hits, the Golden Eagle aimed to slice into the deficit after he burned Williams with a crossover move in three-point territory and took off toward the tin.
Williams, though, recovered and pinned Modzelewski's field goal attempt against the backboard. Another lesson was required mere seconds later when Williams negated another Modzelewski layup with his mammoth mitts.
Terrified at the prospect of getting shot after shot rejected by the Cardinals' fearsome rim protector, the Golden Eagles shied away from the paint for the remainder of the bout. Plattsburgh State, though, was comprised of sterner stuff, and embarked on any number of forays to the rim.
McIntosh and Williams combined to score all but nine of the Cardinals' points in the last 20 minutes.
Smith put in 14 points for Brockport while Lyerly added 11.
With the road to the SUNYAC Tournament Championship already paved through the barriers of Memorial Hall, the Cardinals have one final task to accomplish in their remaining regular season tilt: honor their seven-member senior class. Hodgson, McIntosh, Moody, Williams, Mike Mitchell, Alan Siergiej and Gary Tibbs will be recognized in a short ceremony before the Cardinals' 2 p.m. tilt with SUNY Geneseo on Saturday afternoon.
