In a game that featured 16 lead changes and 11 ties, Brock came over a Zach Straining (Harrisburg, PA/Central Dauphin East) screen and broke a 54-all tie nailing the game-winner from a few feet beyond the arc.
Alvernia senior Ray Strickland (Chester, PA/Chester) led all scorers with a game-high 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Brock joined Strickland in double-figures with 11 points for the Crusaders (15-4, 10-1 PAC). Eastern’s Ryan Tozer (Norwood, PA/Friends Central) led the Eagles (8-11, 5-5) with 18 points.
The game remained close early with Eastern taking the first multi-possession lead on an 8-0 run that turned a 19-17 deficit into a 25-19 lead with 7:46 left on the first-half clock. Brock ended the streak with a pair from the free throw line and followed a Steve Royles (Topton, PA/Brandywine Heights) bucket with his second 3 of the night midway through a 13-0 Crusader run that put the guests up seven, 32-25 with 2:36 to go in the half. The two teams traded buckets for the remainder of the first half and Alvernia held a 34-29 lead at the break following a Brent Voorhees (Granville, MI/Tri-Unity Christian) bucket for Eastern at the buzzer.
After Alvernia senior Cornell Merricks (Philadelphia, PA/Norristown) scored to open the second, Eastern ripped off a quick 9-0 run to take a 38-36 lead with 14:41 left to play. The lead for either team never grew above three points for the remainder of the game with Eastern’s Francis Bowe (Philadelphia, PA/St. Pius X) forcing the 11th tie at 54-all on a pair of free throws just prior to Brock’s game-winner.
Alvernia 57, Eastern 54