Nazareth took a 14-point lead wit 2:17 remaining in the opening half, but a late rally by the Bengals left the score just 39-36 in favor of the Golden Flyers. In the second stanza, the teams traded leads until Buffalo State finally grabbed the lead for good with 3:06 remaining. The Bengals used the late flurry to put the game away. James Williams (Brooklyn/William Grady) led the Bengals with 22 points and a school record seven blocked shots. Dion Mozelle (Rego Park/Xaverian) added 18 points on 8 of 11 shooting. Charles Hepburn (Rochester/Greece Arcadia) and Jay Wingate (Henrietta/Rush-Henrietta) chipped in 16 and 13 points respectively. Sophomore Joe Canori (Webster/Webster Thomas) led Nazareth with a career-high 35 points and eight rebounds. Canori was 10 of 17 from the field, including 8 of 12 from three-point range. Ryan McAdam (Fairport/Fairport) scored 13 points, and Caswell Smith (Brooklyn/Xaverian) added 11 points and eight boards.
In the consolation game, Pitt-Bradford trailed Marietta by as many as 23 points in the first half, but closed the opening stanza with a 61-55 advantage. The Panthers never trailed in the second half and claimed the 12-point victory. Pitt-Bradford’s Ryan Race (Bradford, PA/Bradford) set a tournament record with 55 points on 22 of 28 shooting. Mark Austin (Bradford, PA/Olean) added 25 points, and Dan Thomas (Perth, Australia) had 15 points and a tournament record 10 assists. Craig Stewart (Circleville, OH/Circleville) led the Pioneers with 27 points, including eight three-pointers. Andrew Good (Bexley, OH/Besley) added 15 points, and Ryan Wilkinson (Wilmington, OH/Clinton Massic) scored 13. The 250 combined points also set a tournament record.
Coles Classic MVP: James Williams (Buffalo State)
Coles Classic All-Tournament Team: Dion Mozelle (Buffalo State), Joe Canori (Nazareth), Caswell Smith (Nazareth), Ryan Race (Pitt-Bradford), Craig Stewart (Marietta)