Oswego State men’s basketball has returned to the SUNYAC Championship tournament weekend as defending champions.
The No. 5 Lakers defeated No. 4 SUNY Geneseo on the road Tuesday night, 95-84, in the first round to advance to the SUNYAC semifinal game against No. 1 Plattsburgh State.
The Lakers’ offense thrived, especially in the second half, scoring 60 points and shooting over 50 percent from the field for the game.
Senior Jamir Ferebee was dominant on both ends of the floor, scoring 21 points, dishing out six assists and grabbing four rebounds. Despite the successful night for him and the team, he suffered a lower right leg injury in the final seconds of the game that could affect his status for Friday night’s semifinal matchup.
“[Ferebee]’s injured. We’re not sure if he’s going to play or what,” head coach Jason Leone said. “We’re not really going to disclose any of that stuff.”
The injury did look significant, as Ferebee was not able to put pressure on it while he hobbled off the floor in the final minute of the game. The night may have been bittersweet, but it does not take away the impact he had on the win.
“[Ferebee] was awesome. It was awesome,” Leone said. “It was a complete team effort, but he played the way a senior would play.”
Fellow senior classmate Ian Schupp also had a big night, scoring 20 points on four 3-pointers made and reaching 1,000 points scored for his collegiate career.
“Definitely an awesome moment for me,” Schupp said. “But, since the beginning of the season, my goal has been to win another SUNYAC [Championship].”
Leone has coached Schupp for three of his four seasons and has seen him scoring most of the point total the past two seasons (644) in a more prominent role in his offensive system.
“It’s an incredible accomplishment,” Leone said. “We recruited Ian [Schupp] here, knowing he can put the ball in the basket. He’s handled it better than anybody I’ve coached in terms of getting up to that number and not pressing. I’m glad he got there. I think it’s a tribute to all the hard work he’s put in and dedication.”
As Schupp mentioned before, a milestone like that is something to acknowledge, but his and the team’s sights are set on the bigger picture for the SUNYAC Championship against a dangerously hot team like Plattsburgh State.
The Cardinals have won 17 straight games and 15 of them have been in SUNYAC play. In their last nine contests, they are outscoring opponents by an average 28.5 points per game. In that span they did play Oswego State on Feb. 2, who led at the half, but fell to the Cardinals in a hard-fought game, 74-60.
“I think when we get in the game we got to compete,” Leone said. “I think one thing Plattsburgh does better than everybody in the league is they really go after the ball, they really run the floor and they’re great at getting easy buckets.”
The Cardinals are a big, physical and athletic team that gives the Lakers’ matchup issues running a four-guard set. If Ferebee is unable to play, it will likely be the senior forward Josh Ivey who slides in to the starting lineup alongside Tyler Pierre in the low-post.
“I don’t think it’s much challenging. I think every team has a chance to get to the championship,” Pierre said. “One of the biggest things I learned [playing Plattsburgh] is you can’t play soft. The first game [home] and the second game there, I played pretty soft, and it can’t happen.”
Leone feels they have been in the right spots defensively against the Cardinals, but preaches more “concentration” against a team like them.
A likely candidate for SUNYAC Player of the Year is Plattsburgh State guard Jonathon Patron. He is averaging 21.9 points per game this season and had a pair of 27-point performances against the Lakers.
Patron will not be the only headache for Leone and the Lakers. Eli Bryant is averaging 17 points per game and is coming off a weekend where he was named SUNYAC Player of the Week. To add to their depth, Eric Mack is averaging 11.3 points per game and the trio of Chris Middleton, Brandon Johnson and Nick DeAngelis average around 8.5 points a game as well.
Oswego State has deep scoring of their own but could be without their leading scorer. If so, it will be up to other reliable options like Schupp, Brandan Gartland and Liam Sanborn to pick up the Lakers’ perimeter scoring.
“I just think guys have to step up,” Schupp said. “Timmy Marshall played well last night. But I think overall, guys off the bench have to be ready to play and starters will be expected to play even more minutes.”
Oswego State will embrace its underdog status, ignore the entirety of the season and look at the improvement they have displayed the past six games. They are 5-1 in that stretch.
“Just got to be ready for [Plattsburgh State],” Schupp said. “I don’t think we played a full 40-minute game either time against them. Going into Friday at their place, they’ll definitely be sleeping on us. So, we’ll be sure to give them our best shot this time around.”
The Oswego State Lakers will look to return to SUNYAC Championship for the third straight season in Friday night’s semifinal matchup at Plattsburgh State. It will be a 7:30 p.m. tipoff at Memoria Hall in Plattsburgh, New York.
“I think we’re going to play better. I really do, I really really do,” Leone said. “I just think when the chips are on the line, this team we play better. We’re going up there with nothing to lose and we’re going to play well.”
Photo: Austin Dearborn | The Oswegonian
