Box Score The Keuka College men's basketball team secured at least a second-place finish in the North Eastern Athletic Conference's (NEAC) North division thanks to a 70-67 win over SUNY Polytechnic (formerly SUNYIT) Friday evening in Marcy, N.Y.
Senior Trevor Healey (Wethersfield, Conn./Wethersfield) scored 20 points with six rebounds, and junior Casey Williams (Syracuse, N.Y./Jamesville-DeWitt) added 16 points with eight rebounds to power the Wolfpack (14-8, 11-5 NEAC).
With the win, Keuka has secured at least the No. 2 seed in the North for the upcoming NEAC postseason tournament. If Keuka can knock off first-place SUNY Cobleskill at 3 p.m. Saturday in the regular-season finale, the Wolfpack would win the NEAC North and would receive a bye into the Final Four, held Feb. 28 to March 1.
If the Wolfpack fall to Cobleskill (13-10, 11-4), Keuka would host a NEAC quarterfinal contest Tuesday night.
Keuka has already secured the program's first postseason appearance since the 2009-10 season, and the win over Poly gave Keuka its winningest season since the 2005-06 squad went 16-10.
The top three teams from each division advance into the NEAC postseason tournament.
Taking on SUNY Poly, freshman Cliff Stevens (Ballston Spa, N.Y./Ballston Spa) scored eight points with five rebounds, and senior Tyler Hixson (Shortsville, N.Y./Red Jacket) added eight points as Keuka completed the season sweep.
The Wolfpack shot 50.9 percent from the floor (29 of 57), their fourth time shooting 50 percent or better from the floor in the last seven games.
Tied at 31 entering halftime, Keuka outscored SUNY Poly (10-14, 9-7) 39-36 in the second half to pull away.
Healey scored 16 second-half points while shooting a blistering 88.9 percent from the floor (8 of 9). Hixson added all eight of his points after halftime to lift the Green and Gold, who shot 57.7 percent (15 of 26) in the second half.
Keuka opened the second on a 10-0 run as Hixson scored six points and Healey added four. A jumper from Hixson 3:36 into the second capped the run and put Keuka up 41-31.
Healey threw down a dunk and Williams made a '3' to keep the lead at 10, 46-36, and Healey extended the lead to 48-36 on a jumper with 13:15 remaining.
Healey scored eight straight points in the second half for Keuka, which led 54-42 after Healey buried a jumper with 10:51 remaining.
Senior Adam Starks (Wellsville, N.Y./Andover) made a '3' for a 59-47 lead, but SUNY Poly responded with a 12-2 run over the next 4:18 and closed within 61-59 on a jumper from Michael Boyea with 4:04 to play.
Senior Jared Wagner (Pittsford, N.Y./McQuaid) knocked down a triple for a 64-59 lead, but Poly scored seven of the next eight points and led 66-65 after Boyea converted a three-point play with 1:18 remaining.
Junior Vinney Zambito (Elba, N.Y./Batavia Notre Dame) made a jumper with 1:03 for a 67-66 Keuka lead, but Tyler Taverne hit a free throw to knot the score at 67 with 38 seconds left.
Healey then made a jumper for a 69-67 Keuka lead, and after a SUNY Poly turnover, Zambito made a free throw for a three-point lead.
Boyea misfired on a game-tying '3' as time expired to clinch the win for Keuka. Boyea and Maverick Hodge each scored 18 points for the Wildcats.