Over the days of Nov. 12 and 13, Oswego State hosted the 2021 Men’s Basketball Max Ziel Tournament. Across the two day span, four games were played between Elmira College, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Hobart College and the Lakers.

The tournament tipped off at 5 p.m. of Nov. 12 with the SUNY Polytechnic Institute Wildcats taking on the Hobart College Statesmen. Throughout the first half of play the two teams seemed evenly matched with the only significant lead being a 10 point differential in favor of SUNY Poly that was quickly erased by Hobart College after the Statesmen ended the half red hot, going on an 18-4 point run. SUNY Poly forward Josh Gregory had just under half of the Wildcats’ points over the first half and would end the game with just under half of his team’s entire score. Gregory’s fantastic form would carry over into their next game of the tournament but would not be enough to lift his team past Hobart College. The Statesmen would come out of the break firing on all cylinders and would eventually seal the victory with a 17-6 point run that included back-to-back three pointers by freshman Aidan Rodgers on three straight possessions. Josh Gregory remained the main source of points for SUNY Poly but ultimately a more energetic and efficient Hobart College team would come out on top.

Following the SUNY Poly and Hobart College game, the Oswego State Lakers tipped their season off against the Soaring Eagles of Elmira College. For the Lakers, it was a dream start, getting out to a 20 point lead in under 12 minutes of the first half and denying the Soaring Eagles double digit points until 14 minutes into the contest. The first half would eventually end with the Lakers leading by a score of 42-19 despite zero points on the board from Sparks, the only returning Laker from before the pandemic. 

What really made the difference for the Lakers was the immaculate bench performance which contributed 23 points in the first half alone. Sparks would not have to wait much longer for his first basket since returning to play as he got the crowd on their feet with an emphatic dunk a few minutes into the second half which turned out to be much like the first. Oswego State kept their foot on the gas and never let up as the game ended with a favorable final score of 85-51.

For not playing a game in about 650 days, the Lakers looked like a team that never left the court with a combined effort on both offense and defense to ensure a victory in their return. The Lakers were spurred on by stand out performances from senior Julien Crittendon and freshman Ahkee Anderson who put up 15 and 12 points respectively. This win rounded out the gameday and meant that Oswego State would play Hobart College in the tournament final while SUNY Poly and Elmira College would play for third place.

At 2 p.m. on Nov. 13, the second and final day of games tipped off with SUNY Poly taking on Elmira College for third place. Out of the gate, the contest was evenly matched with no side taking any sort of significant lead. However, the shining star of SUNY Poly’s game yet again was Gregory. The senior put up 14 points while shooting 4-6 from beyond the arc in the first half alone. 

The difference between this game and the game in which SUNY Poly lost to Elmira College was that Gregory was helped by a great first half performance by junior center Jesse O’Dell. His nine points were a big help for the Wildcats as they kept the game close and eventually closed out the half with a lead of 35-31. Elmira College was kept in the game nearly single-handedly by guard Bryan Adams who had nine points on top of two rebounds and three assists. In the second half, the Wildcats came out with a purpose and after starting off the half with an 8-3 run, never let up and held the lead for the remainder of the game. 

Once again, Gregory led all scorers and would finish with a crucial 24 points that would secure a 74-66 victory and a third place finish for the Wildcats in the tournament. SUNY Poly scoring nearly 30 more points in this game than the previous day’s, shows that they were able to quickly fix their issues with consistency on offense. For Elmira College, the struggle to find a reliable number two option behind Adams was still the glaring issue as only one other player on the Soaring Eagles managed to reach double digit points in the contest.

Following the conclusion of the SUNY Poly and Elmira College game was the championship game between Oswego State and Hobart College. The Lakers looked to capitalize on the momentum of their resounding win the previous day behind the hot hand of Kaleb Cook who would finish the half with 10 points. Excluding the three pointer that opened the game for the Statesmen, Oswego State would immediately take the lead and never let go. Despite a slight dry spell in the middle of the first half the Lakers were able to wake themselves up and keep themselves very much in the lead. 

Oswego State shot an impressive 45% from the field of play which would give them a 35-20 point lead at the break. The second half was much more of the same from the Lakers who showed no mercy and rode their home court advantage all the way through to the end. At one point Kaleb Cook had the entire Oswego State fanbase on their feet as he drained a difficult three pointer and gave a fist pump to the crowd.

Just like the first half, the Lakers never lost the lead and would pull out the victory to be crowned tournament champions. Hobart College struggled against the strong Laker side with only one player, junior forward Jackson Meshanic, reaching double digit points with 18 on top of an impressive 11 rebounds. Over the course of the game Oswego State recorded a 43% field goal percentage and shot an impressive 29% from three as a team. De Facto team leader Sparks put up an impressive individual stat line with 15 points, six rebounds, four assists, one block and four steals. 

However, in this game he was outshined by tournament MVP Kaleb Cook who torched Hobart with 22 points, 12 of which came from three-point range. The Lakers were then presented with their trophy in which they celebrated like a team who knows how much it means to be back on the court.

William Rogers | The Oswegonian