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Salem

About the 2002 Division III
men's basketball tournament

Elizabethtown 94, Clark 90
WASHINGTON — Elizabethtown head coach Bob Schlosser has attended numerous NCAA Division III Final Fours, but never as a participating coach. He will next week.

Jon English scored a team-high 26 points to lead the Blue Jays to a 94-90 victory over Clark University in the Atlantic Sectional final at Catholic University's DuFour Center on Saturday and send Elizabethtown to its first Final Four.

The Blue Jays (28-2) will meet Rochester (24-4) at Salem (Va.) Civic Center on Friday. Otterbein (28-3) plays Carthage (27-1) in the other national semifinal. Game times are 6 and 8 p.m., with the order to be determined Sunday.

"I've been to so many Final Fours as (an NCAA regional) committee member, and I always said I wanted to go at least once with my team," Schlosser said after his squad cut down the nets. "Now I can."

English hit 12 of 16 shots and grabbed seven rebounds. The 6-foot-4 junior center had 14 points and eight boards the night before in Elizabethtown's 87-85 escape against Cabrini and was named sectional Most Outstanding Player.

Bob Porambo succeeded on 8 of 12 field goals and ended with 17 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. The Blue Jays made 38 of 66 shots overall (57.6%). Chad Heller scored 15 points, Rocky Parise 12 and Ian Daecher 10. Parise (above, cutting net) contributed six assists and three steals and was named to the All-Sectional team.

Sean Fleming tallied a game-high 29 points, five steals and four assists for Clark (23-6). Trevor Walker chipped in 25 points and seven rebounds. Dave McNamara, who hit 5 of 10 3-pointers in the Cougars' win against the host Cardinals the night before, was held to 2 of 10 Saturday. He finished with 15 points, while Chris Bagdis had seven points and seven boards.

Ahead 91-90 following a Fleming layup, Parise put Elizabethtown up three with 36 seconds left when he scored on a driving layup and was fouled by McNamara.

"With 10 seconds on the shot clock, (McNamara) was pressuring me, as he had been all game," said Parise, who failed to convert the free throw. "I saw an opening in the lane and I was going to drive and kick the ball out, but nobody stepped up. So I took it in and made a right-handed layup."

Walker missed a 3-pointer for Clark and fouled Daecher, who hit the second of two free throws for the final margin. Fleming misfired on two treys in the final 12 seconds.

The Cougars lost in the sectional finals for the second consecutive year. They were seeking their third Final Four berth, but first since 1987. Clark coach Paul Phillips, a member of the NCAA Men's Division III Basketball Committee, will be in Salem next week.

"I think (Elizabethtown) has as good a chance as anybody," Phillips said. "Obviously we're going to cheer for them."

The Blue Jays never trailed in the contest and led by 19, 34-15, on an English jumper with 8:45 remaining before halftime. The Cougars responded with a 22-8 run but still trailed by five before going into the break down 48-40. English hit 7 of 8 shots and scored 15 points in the first half.

Schlosser still hadn't fully appreciated his team's accomplishment when he met the media after the game.

"It hasn't sunk in totally," he said. "Things happen for a reason and I think tonight was one of those nights."

ATLANTIC SECTIONAL
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Jon English, Elizabethtown (Most Outstanding Player)
Rocky Parise, Elizabethtown
Sean Fleming, Clark
Matt Hilleary, Catholic
Kris Pittman, Cabrini

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