In a day that started with a myriad of possibilities, it was Gettysburg and Haverford that secured the final two playoff spots for next week's Conference tournament.
Gettysburg defeated McDaniel at home to clinch the No. 3 seed and a first-round bye for the tournament, while Haverford handled arch-rival Swarthmore and received help from Muhlenberg to secure the No. 5 seed.
Dickinson 77, Franklin & Marshall 66
The Dickinson College men's basketball team turned in an outstanding performance at Franklin & Marshall, spoiling senior day with a 77-66 win in the unfriendly confines of the Mayser Center on Saturday afternoon. In just his second season, head coach Alan Seretti has led the Red Devils to the Centennial Conference semifinals with a second place finish. The Devils set a school record, finishing 12-6 in conference play, improving to 14-11 overall. Each team had four players reach double-figures. Senior captain Matt Dolan led all scorers with a game-high 19 points. Georgio Milligan finished with 14 points and four assists to lead Franklin & Marshall (20-5, 15-3). Mike Baker recorded a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Senior center Andrew Powers made his final home game one to remember, posting 26 points and nine rebounds to lead the Gettysburg College men's basketball team into the Centennial Conference playoffs with a 66-54 victory over McDaniel College Saturday afternoon in Bream Gymnasium on Senior Day. Not only did the Bullets (14-11, 11-7 CC), who won their third game in a row, clinch their 11th straight Centennial Conference playoff berth, but they also secured a first-round bye. Gettysburg will finish third in the Centennial Conference standings and take on Dickinson College in the conference semifinals next Saturday at tournament host Franklin & Marshall College at a time to be announced. Powers, Gettysburg's career scoring leader, posted his seventh 25-point game of the season and moved into a tie with Dennis Stanton of Ursinus College for second on the Centennial Conference career scoring list. Stanton scored 1,930 points from 2000-04. Devon Lesniak paced McDaniel with 18 points, shooting 5-for-12 from beyond the arc.
The Haverford College men's basketball team did exactly what it needed to do and received a little help from its friends to clinch the fifth seed in the upcoming Centennial Conference tournament. The Fords downed Swarthmore, 75-52, Saturday at Gooding Arena while Muhlenberg College defeated Ursinus College, 82-53, in Allentown. The victory puts the Fords at 10-8 in the conference and one game ahead of Ursinus (9-9) for the final playoff spot. The Fords placed four players in double-figures and were led by Sam Permutt's 17 point and 12 rebound performance in his last game at Gooding Arena. Cam Baker scored 16 points and just missed a double-double, grabbing nine rebounds.Jay Kober was the only Swarthmore player in double-figures, scoring 13 points off the bench.
An early detonation of the Bomb Squad defused Ursinus' playoff hopes. The Muhlenberg men's basketball team, which took the court with three players making their first career start, roared out to a 20-6 lead and was never threatened in defeating Ursinus, 82-53, in the last game of the season for both teams. The Mules (13-12, 9-9) were eliminated from playoff contention when Haverford defeated Swarthmore, 75-52. The Bears could have clinched the fifth and final Centennial Conference playoff berth with a win, but ran into a hot-shooting Muhlenberg team. In addition to ending the season on a positive note, the win was noteworthy for junior Spencer Liddic breaking the 40-year-old school record for points in a season. Liddic came into the game needing 18 and scored 19 to eclipse the mark of 508 points set by all-time scoring leader Bob McClure in 1970-71. TJ Jones led the Bears with 11 points.
Johns Hopkins 74, Washington College 64
Senior John Alberici poured in career-highs of 29 points and 12 rebounds to lead Johns Hopkins past visiting Washington College, 74-64, in JHU's final regular season contest on Saturday afternoon in Goldfarb Gym. The Blue Jays close out the year at 7-18 overall and 5-13 in the Centennial Conference, while the Shoremen conclude their season at 7-18 overall and 6-12 in conference play. Junior Kevin Breslin led the way for Washington College with 13 points and seven boards.