The Cabrini men’s basketball team finished off its 2009-2010 season in dramatic fashion. On Saturday, Feb. 20, the Cavs beat a determined Neumann Knights team 89-87 in overtime. The win held no bearing on standings, the Cavs had already locked up the first seed of the CSAC playoff tournament.
“It’s big. To pull off a tight game on the road it’s big,” head coach Marcus Kahn said.
Senior forward Kevin Misevicius led both teams with 31 points and earned his second double double of the season with 14 rebounds. His 5-13 three-point shooting for the night and six blocks capped off a dominant performance by the senior.
The freshmen duo of point guard Corey Lemons and combo guard A.J. Williams combined for 27 points giving the Cavs consistent scoring from the back court.
“Corey Lemons has exceeded our expectations as our starting point guard this year,” Kahn said.
The Cavaliers had a comfortable seven-point lead with 60 seconds left in the game, when Neumann went on a 7 and 0 run supplied by two three-point shots by Mike Walukiewicz and Marquise Boggs that tied the game at 76 with nine seconds left. Neumann’s Sean Armstrong denied a last second shot from A.J. Williams to send the game into overtime.
The Knights took an early two-point lead in the extra time to take a 78-76 lead. Kevin Misevicius then connected on a long ball to regain the lead. Misevicius scored the next six points from the free-throw line, to put Cabrini up by four with 32 seconds remaining. The Cavaliers are six and one over the last two seasons, when Misevicius scored over 30 points.
Walukiewicz hit another three ball to narrow the score to one point. Lemons, on the other end, went one for two from the foul line to broaden the score to two points. With two seconds on the clock and Cabrini’s 23rd win in jeopardy, the Knights’ Na’Sheed Linton missed both free throw attempts to seal the Cavs’ victory.
The men’s basketball team has a combined record of 45-10 over the past two seasons under head coach Marcus Kahn. The last time that Cabrini won 23 games in a season was the 1995-1996 season where they went on to win the CSAC and advance to the NCAA tournament.
They came up short last season in their quest for a championship, falling to Gwynedd-Mercy College 108-96. But coach Kahn’s team this year has a much easier path to the championship. Sporting the best record in the CSAC, the Cavs have a first round bye in the playoffs and home-court advantage throughout.
“The extra days off are huge. We can rest. We had yesterday off, and we have two days to prepare,” Kahn said.
The championship will come through the Dixon center this February and the players couldn’t be happier.
“We’ve had a lot of success on our court this season in conference games,” Kahn said.
Everything seems to be stacking up Cabrini’s way to bring home the championship. The only conference loss on Cabrini’s record is a one point loss to Centenary College. When asked who poses the biggest threat Kahn said, “Keystone. They’re tough. They’ve given us match up problems in the past,” but he didn’t seem too concerned.
