Thursday’s first-round action included a 81-59 victory by Farmingdale State over Kenyon, and a surprising 80-72 triumph by Fisk over Randolph-Macon. The Yellow Jackets came into the tournament ranked #12 in the nation in the most recent D3hoops.com poll.
Farmingdale’s record improved to 6-3 overall with two wins. Fisk moved to 7-3 on the season with one victory in two games, while Randolph-Macon’s win in the consolation game made the Yellow Jackets 9-2 overall. Kenyon dropped to 3-7 on the season with two losses.
The Most Valuable Player of the tournament was Farmingdale senior guard Dashawn Warren (Astoria, NY/W.C. Bryant). He was joined on the all-tournament team by his teammate, senior forward Kenny McMillan (Bronx, NY/All Hallows), senior guards Chris Adams (Memphis, TN) and Jeremiah Williamson (Laconia, TN), both from Fisk, Randolph-Macon senior forward Justin Wansley (Richmond, VA/Henrico), and Kenyon freshman forward Bryan Yelvington (Arlington Heights, IL/John Hersey).
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29TH
Game #1: Farmingdale State University 81, Kenyon College 59
Farmingdale State had four players in double figures, led by senior forward Kenny McMillan (Bronx, NY/All Hallows) with 19 points. He also pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds – 11 of those defensive – and distributed four assists too. McMillan shot 9-for-15 from the floor (60.0%).
Also for the Rams, sophomore forward Brian Robinson (White Plains, NY/White Plains), senior guard Dashawn Warren (Astoria, NY/W.C. Bryant), and sophomore guard Peter Lipka (Shelton, CT/Shelton) each scored 11 points. Robinson, who made 5-of-6 field goals (83.3%) coming off the bench, also had seven rebounds. Warren handed out a game-high six assists. Lipka shot 4-for-6 overall (66.7%), including 3-of-4 three-pointers (75.0%).
Kenyon was led by senior guard Matt Formato (Downers Grove, IL/Downers Grove North), with 19 points. Reserve freshman guard Korey Haddox (Zanesville, OH/Zanesville) added 14 points. Freshman forward Bryan Yelvington (Arlington Heights, IL/John Hersey) grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds – eight of those were at the defensive end of the court.
Game #2: Fisk University 80, Randolph-Macon College 72
Leading four Fisk players in double-digit scoring was senior guard Jeremiah Williamson (Laconia, TN), with 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting (57.1%). He also had six rebounds and three assists. Junior guard Marquis Patton (Atlanta, GA) made 7-of-8 field goals (87.5%), totaling 18 points.
Also for the Bulldogs, senior guard Chris Adams (Memphis, TN) scored 15 points, going 5-for-6 at the foul line (93.3%), and had a game-high five steals. Senior forward Kevin Dilworth (Northville, GA) added 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting (71.4%) and five rebounds off the bench.
For Randolph-Macon, senior forward Justin Wansley (Richmond, VA/Henrico) and junior forward Phil Hawley (Weirton, WV/Tri-State Christian Academy) each scored 19 points. Wansley, who made 7-of-12 field goals (58.3%) and 4-of-5 free throws (80.0%), also pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds – nine of those defensive. Hawley shot 7-for-9 from the floor (77.8%) and 4-for-6 at the foul line (66.7%). Senior guard Patrick Gill (Richmond, VA/Benedictine) scored all nine of his points in the first half, nailing three field goals from behind the three-point line.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 30TH
Consolation Game: Randolph-Macon College 70, Kenyon College 48
Again Randolph-Macon was led by Wansley and Hawley. Wansley finished with a game-high 17 points, which included 7-of-9 foul shots (77.8%), and also pulled down nine rebounds and had a game-high three steals. Hawley totaled 16 points, nine rebounds and three assists.
Also for the Yellow Jackets freshman forward Alex Irmer (Alexandria, VA/Wakefield) scored a career-high 10 points off the bench in just 11 minutes of reserve action. Another reserve freshman, guard David Carlson (Woodbridge, VA/Flint Hill School) added eight points on 4-of-6 shooting (66.7%) in 13 minutes.
Leading the way for Kenyon was Formato, with 15 points and three assists. Yelvington scored 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting (71.4%), which included 2-of-3 three-pointers, and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. Sophomore guard Josh Klinger (Bellbrook, OH/Bellbrook) added eight points, making 6-of-7 free throws (85.7%).
Championship Game: Farmingdale State University 69, Fisk University 51
Farmingdale State’s Warren led all scorers with 21 points, and also grabbed five rebounds. Freshman guard Daimien Santana (Brooklyn, NY/Grady) and Lipka each scored 10 points. Santana, who made 5-of-6 foul shots (83.3%), also had six rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench. Lipka was 3-for-4 from three-point distance, and handed out three assists.
Also for the Rams, McMillan scored nine points, distributed three assists, and pulled down a game-high 20 rebounds – 16 of those at the defensive end of the court. Junior guard Terry Menefee (Mission, KS/Shawnee Mission North) added eight points and a team-high four assists.
For Fisk, Williamson had 16 points and five rebounds. Junior forward Aaron Hinton (Huntsville, AL) pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds, all defensive.