Sunday Morning News Coverage

From the Lancaster Sunday News:

Widener edges Elizabethtown, 66-62

Men's basketball
Sunday News
Published: Feb 08, 200900:12 EST

Chester
By STAFF

Charles Jones finished with a game-high 22 points, including a key tie-breaking 3-pointer, to lead Widener past Elizabethtown 66-62 in Commonwealth Conference action Saturday.

Jones added six assists and four steals for the Pride (16-5, 6-2), who hold a one-game lead over Albright for the top spot in the conference.

Mike Church (Solanco) scored 11 points to lead the Blue Jays (10-11, 4-5), who overcame a seven-point first-half deficit to lead by as many as five points in the second half before the Pride regained the advantage late.

The Blue Jays are a half game behind Lycoming for the fourth and final conference playoff spot with three games remaining. They host the Warriors at 8 p.m. Wednesday in Thompson Gymnasium.

A 12-2 run turned a 36-31 Widener lead into a 43-38 Elizabethtown advantage following a 3-pointer by Keith Fogel with 15:38 to go. Widener responded with seven of the next nine points to knot the contest at 45 with 13:17 left, and the teams traded the lead until Nyere Miller's 3-pointer gave the Pride a 51-50 lead with 9:30 to go.

Elizabethtown tied the game at 57 on a layup by Chris Hill with 6:02 remaining, but Jones' 3-pointer with 4:25 left ignited a 7-0 run that gave the Pride a 64-57 lead with 3:07 to go.

The Blue Jays cut the deficit to 64-62 on a 3-point play by Church with 1:11 remaining, but Elizabethtown turned the ball over on its final three possessions and Bobby Edmunds hit two free throws for Widener with 25 seconds left to close out the scoring.

Fogel and Joe Flanagan (Lancaster Mennonite) scored nine points each for the Blue Jays, while Phil Schaffer recorded seven points, seven rebounds and nine assists. As a team, Elizabethtown shot 45.6 percent (26-for-57) from the field and held a 35-27 edge in rebounding over Widener.

Jones was the lone player to score in double figures for Widener, with Jarrell Nelson chipping in nine points off the bench and Jamarr Johnson, Sosna and Edmunds scoring eight points each. The Pride shot 48 percent (24-for-50) from the field and hit 7-of-18 from 3-point range.