BROCKPORT, N.Y.—The SUNY Potsdam men's basketball team (12-12) pushed the College at Brockport (18-7) to the brink before bowing 62-55 in the first round of the SUNYAC Playoffs on Tuesday night. Sophomore forward
Ahamadou Sillah (Bronx. N.Y./Kipp NYC Prep) led the Bears with 14 points and six assists. Sophomore guard
Isaac Oduro Jr. (Jamaica, N.Y./Christ the King) had eight points and freshman guard
Jeff Williamson (Brooklyn, N.Y./Christ the King), sophomore guard
Colton Huestis (Ticonderoga, N.Y./Ticonderoga) and freshman guard
MeSean Johnson (Ogdensburg, N.Y./Ogdensburg Free Academy) each scored seven.
Tough defense at both ends of the court kept the scoring low throughout the contest, but the Golden Eagles opened the game on an 11-4 run over the first 5:47. At 13:48, freshman guard
Parker Kelly (Plattsburgh, N.Y./Beekmantown) started a 9-1 run with a 3-pointer. Johnson followed with an old fashioned 3-point play. Sophomore center
Tyrese Baptiste (Brooklyn, N.Y./Eagle Academy II) hit back-to-back buckets and Silliah scored on layup to put Potsdam up 13-12 at 11:48. The teams traded leads over the next six minutes, with Brockport grabbing the largest edge at 24-20 with 5:08 left. The Bears then closed the half on a 9-5 stretch and the teams were knotted at 29 at the break. Sillah hit a three during the burst.
Points were slow to come in the second half as well, but Johnson opened the scoring at 19:13 with a 3-pointer and Potsdam led 32-29. The Golden Eagles rattled off the next six points and Devante Hagins gave them a 35-32 lead at 15:39. Layups from Williamson and senior forward
Dante Viskovich (Massena, N.Y./Massena) put the Bears in front 42-40 at 10:44, but Brandon Kennedy-Gay answered from long range and Brockport was back in front. At 7:58, Huestis hit a three and the Sillah and Oduro followed with layups to give the Bears a 52-47 lead. However, Brockport answered with a 10-1 run and a jumper from Antonio Alvarez made it a 57-53 Brockport advantage with 1:52 remaining. Sillah scored a final time for Potsdam at 1:26, but 57-55 was as close as the Bears could get. The Golden Eagles closed out the contest by hitting five of their final six free throws.
Jahidi Wallace led Brockport with 13 points and seven boards. David Grady had 12 points and five blocks. Hagins finished with 11 and Mekhi Beckett just missed a double-double with nine points and nine boards.
The Bears have reached the playoffs in three straight seasons and have posted a 45-32 record in that span under Coach
Jim Bechtel. The contest brings to a close the career of Potsdam's lone senior
Dante Viskovich.
