OSWEGO N.Y. — The Oswego State men’s basketball team finished their season this past weekend. Having already clinched the first seed for the SUNYAC tournament, these games were just momentum builders for the tournament. The Lakers were set to play the Brockport Golden Eagles and Fredonia Blue Devils, both games at home.
Friday night’s game against Brockport started close, 8-7 after five minutes. Then Oswego found their rhythm, a 13-0 run saw the lead jump to 21-8 with thirteen minutes left in the half. Jamal Achille made it a twenty point lead with just under four minutes remaining, 39-19. The Lakers biggest lead in the half was twenty-four with fifty seconds remaining, and by the end of the half Brockport closed the lead slightly to 49-29. The Golden Eagles attempted to bring it back multiple times in the second half, but Oswego always answered. Brockport got the deficit to seventeen with just under fourteen minutes left, and the smallest gap in the second half, fifteen, with nine and a half to go in the game. Oswego reached eighty points with three minutes to go in the game on an Ahkee Anderson free throw, and from there the reserves checked in to finish the game. Oswego scored three more times after Anderson‘s free throws and won the game 87-63. Five Lakers found double digit scoring in the game, Ahkee Anderson (16), Jamal Achille (16), Devin Green (13), Julien Crittendon (12), and Christian Simmons (11). Green also added ten rebounds for his first double-double of the season.
The final game of the season was against the Fredonia Blue Devils. Before the game stared the Lakers recognized their seven seniors, Brendon Mulson, Christian Simmons, Eric Sanfilippo, Jordan Brown, Hunter Cole, Julien Crittendon, Louis Fedullo. Simmons, Sanfilippo, Cole, Crittendon, and Fedullo were the starters for the game, while Mulson and Brown were the first two off the bench. Christian Simmons stole the show early, he hit two three and had two layups for the Lakers first ten points while the Blue Devils only had six just three minutes into the game. An 11-0 Lakers run behind four from Jordan Brown and Jeremiah Sparks saw the lead get to 21-6 with thirteen to go in the half. Oswego kept pushing the gap with the lead 27-10 after a Kaleb Cook layup with ten to go in the frame. Just under the seven minute mark was when Oswego reached the forty point mark on a Julien Crittendon three, and the lead was twenty-five. Another nine from the Lakers and ten from the Blue Devils before the end of the half saw both teams head to the locker rooms, Oswego up 49-25. Simmons started the second half exactly where he started the first, he had twelve points in the first five minutes of the half, and Oswego’s advantage ballooned to thirty-four, 67-33. Oswego reached eighty on an Ahkee Anderson jumper with eleven and a half to go. The biggest play of the game came with nine minutes remaining, Jordan Brown tipped a three point attempt by Fredonia’s Aaron Collins, Jamal Achille grabbed the ball and threw it up court to a wide open Brown who slammed it down with one hand to extend the lead to 84-37. With seven to go, the Lakers reserves checked in to finish the regular season. They got Oswego over the century mark for the fourth time this season and second time this month and Oswego walked away victorious in their final game, 104-55. Christian Simmons led the Lakers with his season high twenty-four points. Two other Lakers went were over ten, Julien Crittendon (12) and Jeremiah Sparks (11). Sixteen Lakers found the score sheet.
Oswego finished the season with a record of 23-2 (17-1 SUNYAC). They hold the first seed in the conference and will host both semi-final matchups and the finals for the SUNYAC tournament starting Friday. WTOP10 will have coverage of all games played on Oswego’s campus.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY DIANA VITALE, WTOP10 PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT
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