Byers was named the Most Valuable Player after scoring 13 points and dishing out four assists one night after he tallied a double-double of 19 points and 10 assists in the semifinal win. The loss ends DeSales season with a 24-5 overall record as they set a new school-record for wins for the second consecutive year. Lebanon Valley finishes the year with a 17-12 overall mark.
The first half was a back-and-forth affair that saw LVC go on an 8-2 run late in the half, giving them a 34-28 advantage into the halftime locker rooms. In the second half the lead was as high as 11 points and the Flying Dutchmen led by 10 tallies with 4:31 left to play before DSU staged one last rally.
A lay-up by Kyle Koch ignited the run and senior Jim Zinn nailed two three-pointers around a David Spadt free throw to cut the lead to one point, 63-62, with 38 seconds left.
DSU fouled LVC freshman Jimmy Curran with 26 seconds left and Curran calmly knocked down both free throws to push the lead back up to three points. A turnover by the Bulldogs forced them to foul once again but LVC missed the front end and DSU secured the rebound and called timeout with seven seconds left.
LVC immediately fouled junior Kevin Welsh on the inbounds pass, sending him to the line for a 1-and-1 situation. Welsh narrowly missed the first and DeSales was again forced to foul. Lebanon Valley got two charity tosses this time, being in the double bonus, but missed them both as Spadt grabbed the board dribbled to half court and let go one last attempt that was wide left and LVC was crowned the champion.
Zinn finished his brilliant career with 22 points on 8-of-17 shooting and 5-of-12 from beyond the arc. His five treys give him the record for three-pointers in a season with 66 as he graduates DeSales as the record holder for three-pointers in a game (7), in a season (66), and in a career (184). Junior Michael Venafra also reached double digits with 12 points and Koch added nine. Seniors Jeff Clifford and Harry Morra tallied five and three points respectively in their last games.
Dave Kasyan scored 22 points to add to Byers 13 tallies in the win. Curran added 16 off the bench on 6-of-7 shooting and also dished out five assists.