MANOR MEN’S BASKETBALL LOSES TO VALLEY FORGE MLITARY COLLEGE

MANOR MEN’S BASKETBALL LOSES TO VALLEY FORGE MLITARY COLLEGE

By Steven M. Glassman

Director of Sports Information

January 18, 2018

 

JENKINTOWN, PA—Valley Forge Military College (7-17 Overall, 5-11 Region XIX Division II) sophomore guard Gregg Bennett led the team with 20 points as the Trojans defeated the Manor College Blue Jays (14-8, 9-5), 78-74.

 

Valley Forge Military led 14-6 with 15:12 left in the first half on freshman forward Malachi Johnson's jump shot.  Manor answered with a 13-2 run over the next 4:48 and led 19-16 with 10:24 remaining on sophomore guard Kobe Ancrum's (Bridgeport, CT/Bassick) finger roll basket.  The Trojans retook the lead, 21-19, on freshman guard Josephus Dahn's layup with 9:25 left.  The Trojans led until freshman guard Ahrod Carter's (Chester, PA/Chester) three-point basket with under four minutes remaining in the first half (34-33).  After freshman guard Isaiah Wiggins' (Pocono Mountain, PA/Pocono Mountain West) reverse layup extended Manor's lead to 36-33 with 3:18 left, Valley Forge Military scored seven straight points, and led 40-36 at halftime.  Sophomore guard Keith Antoniodavis (Sicklerville, NJ/Eastern) and Bennett led both teams with 10 points each.

 

Manor took its first lead of the second half, 44-43, on freshman forward Antonio Willis' (Newark, NJ/Newark) layup off of a missed shot with 16:43 remaining.  The Blue Jays retook the lead again, 46-45, on Wiggins' free throws with 15:46 left.  Wiggins' floater with 13:42 remaining gave the Blue Jays its largest lead of the game, 53-45.  Altogether, Manor started the second half on a 17-5 run over the first 6:18 of the second half.  Valley Forge Military responded, scored eight straight over the next 1:46, and tied the game at 53 with 11:57 remaining on freshman guard Tariq Meredith's layup and free throw.  The Blue Jays retook the lead again, 55-53, on freshman guard Dana Strothers' (Pittsburgh, PA/Obama Academy) layup with 10:41 left.  Manor led, 66-62, after freshman guard/forward Amir Hill (Philadelphia, PA/Parkway) sank a three point basket with 6:46 remaining.  The Trojans answered by scoring 11 straight points over the next 3:48 and led 73-66 on Bennett's layup with 2:58 left.  After sophomore forward Kyle Huff's layup (with an assist by Bennett) with 2:01 remaining gave Valley Forge Military a 75-68 lead, the Blue Jays responded.  They closed the gap to 75-74 on Strothers' basket off of a missed shot.  Strothers scored Manor's final eight points of the game.  Following Meredith's free throw with 0:22.3 left which gave the Trojans a 76-74 lead, the Blue Jays nearly tied the game with under ten seconds left.  Freshman guard Marcel Curry finished off the scoring on free throws with 0:06.5 remaining.  Both teams scored 38 points in the second half.  Strothers led both teams with 19 points in the second half.  Huff paced the Trojans with 12 second-half points.

 

Individual Statistical Leaders: Strothers led both teams with 23 points.  Davis, Wiggins, and Willis scored 10 points each.

 

Huff scored 19.  Meredith added 14 points and paced Valley Forge Military with nine rebounds, eight assists, and four steals.  Curry contributed 13 points.  Johnson came off the bench to lead the Trojans with four blocked shots.

 

Series Record: This is the first time the Trojans defeated the Blue Jays in nine series meetings.

 

Next Game: Manor hosts NJCAA Region XX Division II Community College of Baltimore County-Dundalk (5-19) 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, February 13, 2018.  The Lions lead the season series, 2-1, but, the Blue Jays won the previous meeting, 75-56, on February 7, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland.