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Men's Basketball Takes The Fright Out of Green Terror, 68-53

Brandon Banadda
Brandon Banadda

HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College men's basketball team (10-8, 6-5 CC) registered a 68-53 victory over visiting McDaniel (8-9, 3-8 CC) Saturday afternoon. inside Gooding '84 Arena, securing their second victory in a row as the team faces a crowded Centennial Conference playoff race.

Harry Johnson scored 14 points to lead the Fords, providing another efficient day on the floor. The Fords shot 46.3 percent from the field while knocking down six threes on a snowy day. Brandon Banadda provided a spark off the bench, scoring ten points in 18 minutes of action. Although Johnson and Banadda were the only Haverford players to score in double digits, Haverford got plenty of scoring from the roster. In fact, 11 of the players to play in the contest scored at least one basket. That team effort separated them from McDaniel in the early goings of the game to the final whistle. 

Haverford jumped out to an early 8-2 lead behind Johnson, Jackson Ryan, and Gabriel Franklin baskets, forcing the Green Terror to take an early timeout. However, the Fords didn't let up coming out of that timeout. First, Nick Kerkorian knocked down a mid-range jumper, and then Josh Love and Clay Killoren followed that up with baskets up their own. With a 10-point advantage sitting at 14-4 in the early goings, McDaniel called another timeout to try and cool off Haverford's hot shooting. 

The rest of the half was all Haverford. The team embarked on run after run, seemingly making three shots to McDaniel's one every two minutes. Eventually, the Fords went on a 10-0 spurt, their longest scoring run of the half after a pair of made free throws from Johnson. The score was 40-20 following that run when McDaniel's Charles Contee finally brought the run to an end with a made jump shot that came with a minute remaining in the half. Haverford took a 17-point lead into halftime.

The second half opened with Nicholas Stewart hitting back-to-back jump shots to push the lead to 21. At the 12-minute mark, Banadda knocked down a shot from deep to give the Fords a 22-point lead. That was essentially the story of the day as The Fords scored in various ways, whether it was from beyond the arc, in the paint, or at the free-throw line. The box score was pretty evenly matched, although the Fords won nearly every team stat. The difference between the two teams was turnovers. Haverford forced McDaniel into 15 turnovers while only committing nine. The Fords generated 16 points from those turnovers. 

With seven minutes remaining, Kerkorian knocked down a three, pushing the lead to 23. Following the made shot, the Fords were content to see out the game with efficient play and get to the free-throw line. McDaniel fought back in the final minutes, but it wasn't enough to cut into such a commanding lead. Stewart finished the game with nine points, and Ryan made all of his shot attempts on his way to seven points. 

Men's Basketball has swept the season series from McDaniel after the Green Terror proved to be a thorn in its side during the 2019-20 campaign. Haverford next hits the road to Collegeville, Pa. as they return to action on Wednesday to take on Ursinus. The game is slated for 7:30 p.m. at Helfferich Hall.