Men's Basketball: York Captures Third Straight PSUAC Title
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA- Junior guard Logan Steckel scored a game-high 31 points-- including three on a key buzzer-beater in the first half-- in leading York to its third consecutive PSUAC championship as they defeated Beaver 108-96 at the Bryce Jordan Center.
In a game that saw 16 ties and 20 lead changes, Beaver looked poised to enter the break with a 12 point lead at 40-28 following freshman Eric McGee's layup with just 90 seconds remaining; but, with just two seconds left on the clock, Steckel drilled one of his six three-pointers to cap a 7-0 York run and cut the lead to 40-35.
"Steckel was hurt in this game last year, so he wanted to be sure he could really contribute this year," said York Athletic Director Chris Beaverson. "Our team showed great character, as they have all season, in fighting through this back-and-forth championship."
Beaver bounced back in the second half, and found themselves ahead 66-65 with just under 10 minutes to play. York would force them to relinquish their lead for good, however, as they stretched the margin in their favor to 88-80 just five minutes later when senior Roger Schumann scored on a layup.
"Our seniors are the winningest in school history," commented Beaverson. "Three straight is certainly great."
Steckel earned his 31 points on 9-17 shooting, including 6-12 from behind the arc. Seniors Tyler Martin and Josh Jamison also landed in double-figures for York, with 20 and 16 points, respectively. Junior guards Lamont Wright and Marcus both scored over 20 points to lead Beaver, as they netted 25 and 21 points, respectively. While the game was extremely close overall, York was bolstered by shooting 36-40 from the free-throw line-- a 16-point advantage over Beaver's 20-26.
Turning their attention to the USCAA championship, York faces Johnson and Wales-NC in the four-versus-five matchup next Thursday, March 5 at 3:15 p.m.
"The USCAA's are a huge bonus for us," said Beaverson. "We'll just enjoy it and see what happens."