The Cavaliers men’s basketball team thrillingly defeated the Keystone College Giants 95-92 on Saturday, Dec. 3, at the Nerney Field House.
In addition to the victory, this game also had significant meaning to senior guard John Boyd. With 98 seconds remaining in the first half, Boyd recorded his 1,000th career college basketball point on a three-point field goal attempt.
“Different sports have their milestones and 1000 points is a big-time accomplishment in basketball,” Marcus Kahn, head coach, said.
Earlier in the week, during an 82-66 win against Philadelphia Biblical University, senior guard Cory Lemons recorded his 1,000th career point as a Cavalier. Lemons was honored at center court in a special ceremony before the game started.
“I’m so proud of Cory and the school, he’s an awesome ballplayer,” Sandra Lemons, mother of Cory Lemons, said.
Lemons got the Cavaliers off to a quick start, scoring shortly after the opening tip-off. He went on a tear through the first half, scoring 14 points, with his name being chanted by the fans scattered throughout the Nerney Field House. Lemons finished with 18 points for the contest.
The first half was a close-scoring affair with the halftime score being 47-40 in favor of the Giants. Both teams came out for the second half with similar explosiveness, even trading leads in the latter stages of the game and providing more than enough action.
As the game was tied at 92 with just seconds remaining on the game clock, the Cavaliers had possession of the ball and were looking to put the game out of reach for the Giants. Lemons passed the ball to Boyd, who knocked down a three-point field goal with just 1.7 seconds to go. After a timeout, the Giants desperately tried to tie the game up with a shot from beyond half-court but it bounced off of the rim and trickled away.
“It was an awesome finish and very exciting,” Kahn said. “Sometimes, you need a little luck.”
“Cory was double-teamed on that one, so he passed it off and I was able to bang it in,” Boyd said.
Many may argue that Boyd was in a high-pressure situation but thanks to some excellent preparation beforehand, the Cavs were able to pull the win off.
“We actually practiced that exact scenario in practice yesterday,” Kahn said.
Boyd’s 31 points in the game was the highest point total for the Cavaliers. The leading scorer for the Giants was Kenneth Hardnett, who finished with 26 points. Hardnett also finished with 14 rebounds, good enough for a double-double.
This win extends the Cavaliers’ home winning streak to 31 games and they will look to extend that streak to 32 games on Saturday, Dec. 10, in a game against the Baptist Bible College Defenders. The win also puts the Cavaliers at 3-0 in the Colonial States Athletic Conference and at 5-0 overall. For the Giants, this loss puts them at 2-1 in the Colonial States Athletic Conference and at 4-2 overall.
Cabrini will travel to the Keystone College campus to face the Giants again on Feb. 15, 2012, in their final game of the season before the CSAC playoffs. It should provide for yet another exciting contest and perhaps another milestone will be reached during that game.
The thrilling conclusion to this game was enjoyed by many but if Boyd had his way, it would have been slightly modified.
“We wanted Cory [Lemons] to shoot that one,” Boyd said. “He’s our best player and someone we all look up to.”
