King’s 3 gave Alvernia (17-4, 12-2 PAC) a 62-61 lead, it’s first since early in the second half, and Shawell’s free throws completed a 7-0 run for the hosts who ran their home win streak to 21 games. Shawell’s free throws game him 11 points for the night and King finished with 10. Senior Garrett Etzel (Shillington, PA/Governor Mifflin) led all scorers with 17 points, and Tyrone Bradley (Chester, PA/Chester) and Ryan Finger (Lancaster, PA/Lampeter Strasburg) also reached double figures for the Crusaders with 10 each.
Senior guard Chris DelBrocco (Philadelphia, PA/St. John Neumann) led the Griffins (11-10, 9-5 PAC) with 14 points, 11 of which came after halftime. Rashid Santiago (Allentown, PA/The George School) scored 12 and Lamiere Talley (Blackwood, NJ/Highland) scored 11.
GMC scored the first 11 points of the second half led by eight from DelBrocco to open up a 41-33 lead with 15:24 left in the game. Alvernia freshman Zach Westmoreland (Downingtown, PA/Downingtown West) and Shawell both hit 3s and Bradley added a free throw to cut the gap to one with 13:20 to play. The deficit remained between one and four for more than 10 minutes and DelBrocco committed his fifth foul with 2:06 to play.
Bradley hit 1-of-2 free throws to pull within one, 58-57, but DelBrocco’s replacement Jack Forth (Upper Merion, PA/Upper Merion) hit a 3 to push the gap to four, 61-57, with 1:42 to play. Etzel hit a tough jumper on the right baseline at 1:19 and after a Santiago turnover, his only one of the night, King stepped back and hit his second 3 to put the Crusaders ahead.
Neither team held a lead larger than four points in the first half, the exact cushion the Crusaders enjoyed at the half. Talley’s jumper with 3:14 left in the half forged the fifth tie of the day before layups from Bradley and Shawell put the hosts up four, 31-27. Santiago hit his third jumper of the half to cut the lead in half, but Etzel’s jumper with eight seconds left put Alvernia up 33-29 at the break.
Alvernia opened up a three-game lead in the PAC and will travel to Immaculata University Thursday evening for a 7:00 game.
Alvernia 64, Gwynedd-Mercy 61