By: Jake Wilson
Champions.
That’s the only way you could describe the Men’s Basketball team after their dominant performance in the SUNYAC tournament this past weekend.
The Red Dragons defeated SUNY Plattsburgh in the semifinals and SUNY Oswego in the championship game, delivering two victories on their home court to secure the SUNYAC title.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” freshman guard Nolan Raymond said. “We set that goal at the start of the season, and we just kept working towards it, and it was good to reach that goal at the end.”
The Red Dragons tore their way through both Plattsburgh and Oswego, handing Plattsburgh a loss with a score of 96-71 before overwhelming Oswego 84-51 in the Championship game and securing the SUNYAC title once again for Cortland.
The victory makes it Cortland’s second consecutive title and their ninth title in program history.
Senior guard Aaron Coston said that the team’s motivation came from the work they had put in all season.
“I think we simply wanted it more than the other team, to be honest,” said Coston. “We all had the same mindset that we weren’t gonna let this season just amount to nothing. We had all the work that we put in, all those early mornings, late nights, and we all came to the conclusion that we’re not done playing basketball.”
Balanced Scoring Powered Semifinals Win
In the semifinal match against Plattsburgh, six Red Dragons scored in double digits.
Coston led the team with 21 points, while Kendall Arcuri added 16 points, Gaige Armbrewster contributed 15 points. Raymond, Joel Davis, and Pacheco Gavyn also scored in double-figures.
This spread out scoring helped Cortland maintain control of the game until the very end, eventually pulling away up 25 points for the semifinal win.
Cortland dominates SUNYAC Championship
The Championship match against Oswego ended in a similar fashion. Cortland set the tone early, leading 18-2 five minutes into the game and finishing the half at 42-19.
Coming out of halftime, Cortland was able to keep their lead, stifling Oswego’s offense and extending their lead by 36 points in the first five minutes of the second half. For the rest of the game Cortland was able to maintain a lead of 26 points.
Individual Honors
Along with winning the SUNYAC Championship a few men on the Basketball team had some notable accomplishments. Xavier Leveille, Armbrewster and Coston were named as members of the SUNYAC Men’s Basketball All Tournament Team, with Coston taking the tournament MVP.
“I’m overwhelmed with joy,” said Coston. “I’m proud of myself. I’m proud of my teammates, especially. It’s kind of surreal, but I’m not surprised because I put in a lot of work myself. And my teammates also believe in me and told me that, in order for us to get to this point, I gotta be aggressive and be in attack mode. Overall I’m just thankful and grateful.”
Eyes on the Prize
With the SUNYAC championship concluded, Cortland now turns their attention to the NCAA Division III Tournament, where they will try to carry their momentum onto the national stage.
This marks the second year in a row in which Cortland has earned itself a spot among the 63 other teams in this tournament.
Cortland hits the road, traveling down to Endicott, Massachusetts to take part in a four team regional tournament. There they will play Franklin & Marshall, a Pennsylvanian school, in the opening round of the tournament on Friday. The winner will play the victor of the Gulls versus Neumann game Saturday for a spot in the tournament’s “sweet 16” bracket.
Both Coston and Raymond said that they’re going to go into the regional and play at their best, and that when they play at their best, no one can beat them.