The Blazers (5-8) dropped the opener against the host Presidents, 73-60, and lost to Albright College in the consolation final on Saturday, 94-72. Hood’s Jesse Gutekunst, who averaged a team-best 19 points and six boards in the two games, was named to the All-Tournament team for the first time in his career.
During the Blazers’ six-game losing streak—which began Dec. 7 and has seen injuries mount and the depth of their roster decrease—they have been outscored by an average of 15 points a game.
First Round
Washington & Jefferson 73, Hood 60
Hood fell behind 42-22 at the half and couldn’t mount enough of a comeback in the second half to advance to the tourney championship game.
Anthony Hariston led five Presidents (3-10) in double-figures with 13 points and also had eight boards. The Blazers were outrebounded, 40-27, and made just 4-of-20 3-point attempts. Santo Provenzano scored a team-high 16 for Hood followed by 13 from Jesse Gutekunst and 11 from Sean Robine.
Robine also had a team-high seven rebounds for Hood and Brian Morris contributed 20 minutes of solid play off the bench with seven points and two steals. Washington & Jefferson, which also beat Hood last season, made 10-of-20 treys and shot 47.3 percent for the game while holding the Blazers to just 36.5 percent shooting.
Consolation Final
Albright 94, Hood 72
Albright, which lost to eventual tourney champion Chowan in its first round game, outscored the Blazers by 16 in the second half to break open a close game at the break to claim third place.
The Lions (6-5) shot an amazing 63.0 percent (34-for-54) from the floor in the game and made 7-of-12 3-pointers. Trevor Deeter led the Lions with 22 points, including going a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line, in just 22 minutes.
Jesse Gutekunst scored a career-high 25 points on 9-of-12 shooting for Hood and David Wilson chipped in with 23. Darnell Edmonds matched his season-high with five steals and also dished out seven assists.
Albright, which saw 43 of its points come from the bench, held a commanding 35-19 edge on the glass and scored 24 points off 18 Hood turnovers.
Chowan won the tournament by defeating Washington & Jefferson, 88-72.
The Blazers get back in action Monday at Waynesburg College. This is the second meeting of the season between these teams with the first matchup going to Hood, 84-76, back on Dec. 4—which also marks the Blazers’ last win. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.