KUTZTOWN, Pa. (February 26, 2011) – For much of the first half, the monotone hum of the gym lights provided the only noise inside of Keystone Arena. Then Jermaine Jackson (Blandon, PA/Reading) dunked. Seconds later, Tamir Johnson (Philadelphia, PA/Imhotep Charter) rocked the house with another dunk following a steal. Suddenly, the arena was vibrating like a rock concert.
By the time Johnson finished off the game with another Blake Griffin-esque dunk that brought the crowd out of its seats; the Kutztown University men's basketball team had secured a home playoff game with an 82-66 victory over Millersville University on Senior Day in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division game Saturday afternoon. (BOXSCORE)
The second-seeded Golden Bears (16-10 overall, 9-5 PSAC East) will host third-seeded East Stroudsburg Tuesday night in a PSAC quarterfinal starting at 7 p.m. Ticket prices are $7 for adults and $2 for students. However, students from member institutions will be admitted free with a valid I.D. There will be no complimentary tickets and only PSAC passes will be accepted at the door.
The two schools split their meetings this season, with Kutztown winning 85-82 at home on Jan. 22 and ESU returning the favor, 69-68, on Feb. 19 at Koehler Fieldhouse. Fans that can't make it out to Keystone Tuesday night will be able to watch the third meeting between the two rivals live on KUTV, which is Service Electric Channel 24 and Hometown Utilicom Channel 28 in Kutztown and eastern Berks County.
“I think we had so many close games and a couple of heartbreaking defeats that it was nice to get a 16-point win,” Kutztown University head coach Bernie Driscoll said. “We overcame some obstacles today and played pretty good at the end of the first half to get control of the game.”
Before the game, Kutztown saluted its senior class of Julius Gray (Lincoln University, PA/Oxford Area), Steve Coffey (Reading, PA/Wilson), and Johnson. Each player received a large framed maroon jersey of their number after they were introduced and walked out to center court. Each player received a thunderous ovation. Then the noise stopped until late in the first half.
Nate Edwards (Philadelphia, PA/North Catholic) and Devon McBride (Richmond, VA/Hill School) led four Kutztown players in double figures with 19 points each. Johnson notched his eighth double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Eric Brennan (Chester, PA/West Catholic) added 13 points and seven rebounds for the Golden Bears, who are in the playoffs for the ninth straight season.
Millersville (10-16, 5-9) had three players reach double figures led Demond Vance's 14 points. Mike Holley added 12 points and six assists for the Marauders, who finished the season with a 1-11 road record. Bernard Brown contributed 10 points. The Marauders came out firing as they made three of their first four 3-point shot attempts. That accuracy helped Millersville swoosh to an early 13-2 edge less than four minutes into the game.
“I don't think our intensity was where it needed to be at the start of the game,” McBride said. “I think our seniors came through, stepped up and put us on their shoulders today. Julius, Tamir, and Steve have been great this entire season. They have shown us a great example of how to play basketball this season.”
The Golden Bears didn't get going until the final five minutes of the first half. Trailing 31-23 with 4 minutes, 54 seconds remaining, Kutztown exploded following a Driscoll timeout. The energy in the arena perked up. Kutztown finished the half by outscoring the Marauders, 20-6. Kutztown's first half finishing kick featured a smorgasbord of highlights.
The consecutive dunks from Jackson and Johnson were the centerpieces of the surge. It was Gray and McBride that got the Golden Bears headed in the right direction. Gray sandwiched a pair of 3-pointers around a McBride trey that gave KU its first lead of the game, 32-31, with 3:24 remaining. Jon DeShields (Chester, PA/Life Center) gave the Golden Bears the lead for good with a short jumper, 34-33. During the run, Kutztown's defense forced four turnovers.
“Those dunks helped us a lot and more importantly, the crowd started to get into the game and we were able to feed off of their energy,” Johnson said. “It was definitely nice to get a win on senior day. My family was able to be here and see me dunk, so that was fun.”
The Golden Bear defense also came through when it mattered late in the game after the Marauders had cut a 14-point deficit to 67-62 with 7:06 remaining. Millersville scored four points over the remainder of the game as Kutztown made sure that its sterling senior class of Steve Coffey (Reading, PA/Wilson), Gray and Johnson had another home game.
The last four games between Kutztown and East Stroudsburg have come down to the final possession. They have all been decided by three points or less.
“It's nice to be in the playoffs, but our goal is to win the PSAC title,” Driscoll said. “I mean years ago, the goal was to be competitive and look representative, but that's not our goal now. We just have to get more consistent play from our team.”
--KU--
