Wheelock falls in final minute in NECC semi-finals
Leicester, Mass.- The Wheelock men's basketball team came within 50 seconds of advancing to the New England Collegiate Conference Championship game, but a four free-throws in the last minute of play helped the Elms Blazers secure the 66-62 win to advance to tomorrow's finale against Becker College.
In the first half the two teams exchanged leads six times. At one point Elms had a six point advantage; which was the largest advantage in the first half. Senior Sherard Robbins (Malden, Mass.) hit a jumper with 00:28 remaining to give Wheelock a 33-32 lead at halftime. Robbins carried the Wildcats with eight first half points. Junior Juan Alverio (Toa Baja, Puerto Rico) came off the bench to lead Elms with eight points in the first half. Wheelock shot just under 45% from the field in the first half while Elms shot just under 42%.
Wheelock took control early in the second half, jumping out to a 9 point lead. The second seeded Elms Blazers refused go down easily. Wheelock held a 58-62 lead with 3:19 remaining before Javon Mathis (East Hartford, Conn.) scored a lay-up cutting the advantage in half. The Blazers completed their comeback when New England Collegiate Conference Player of the Year Juan Maldonado (Holyoke, Mass) fed Brittain Purcelle (Tarrytown, NY) for a jumper at the top of the key, tying the game at 62 all. Maldonado hit two free throws with 00:32 remaining to seal the win for the Blazers.
Sherard Robbins led all scorers with 20 points. He was the lone Wildcat in double figures. Max Kaim (Cypress Bay, Fla) helped keep Wheelock in the game with five aggressive steals. The Wildcats finished the season with a record of 16-11.
Elms College had three players in double figures. Juan Maldonado and Javon Mathis carried the Blazers with 14 points each. Brittain Purcelle chipped in with ten points. The Blazers improved to 20-6 on the season.
