Box Score 2/24/22
 
BRANCHBURG, NJ – Two killer runs, one to open the first half, the other in the second half, twice put the Lackawanna College men's basketball team in a big hole and forced them to climb out of it. They were successful the first time, but the second half deficit proved too great to overcome, as the defending Region XIX champions bowed out on the road against the top-seeded Raritan Valley CC Lions, 92-74, at Raritan Valley on Thursday night.
 
Raritan Valley (20-7) opened the game on a 16-3 run and had the Lions' crowd on their side, but the Falcons, thanks to 19 first half points from Daryl Coleman, battled back, getting within two points at the halftime whistle at 41-39. Raritan came out in the second half and killed off any chance the Falcons had to come back, hitting a 14-2 run behind four straight three-pointers from Eddie Davis, extending their lead into double-digits, where it would remain for the rest of the contest.
 
Lackawanna College (8-17) shot 49% from the field, but had 20 turnovers, and were 2-for-12 from downtown in the second half. Meanwhile, Raritan shot 47% for the game, and hit 46% from downtown, while holding a 43-34 rebounding advantage and stealing the ball 12 times. The Falcons were led by Daryl Coleman's 21 points, while Will Johnson scored 20 and Jaylen Davis added 15. Raritan Valley was led by Raheem Carter, who scored a game-high 23 points, while Ahmad Robinson and Eddie Davis each added 19 points.
 
Right from the jump, the Lions came out focused and fired up. Carter scored off a dish from Eddie Davis, after the Lions won the tap, but the Falcons answered with a Will Johnson corner three to take a 3-2 advantage. That would be the last lead of the evening for the Falcons, as Raritan used a deep three from Eddie Davis to re-take the lead. It was all part of an opening onslaught from Raritan, where the Lions defended fiercely on the perimeter, harassing the Falcon guards and rushing the Falcon offense. After a thunderous transition slam from Carter, the Falcons called timeout, down 11-3 with 16:15 to go in the first half.
 
Things wouldn't improve right away, with Lackawanna missing a pair of free throws, and the Lions making them pay on the other end with a Dan Dextraze three-pointer. A Falcon turnover led to a missed three-pointer, but Carter skied in with two hands to throw the tip-slam home, making it 16-3 and sending the Raritan Valley crowd into hysterics.
 
After that, finally, it looked like the Falcons started to settle into their offense. Daryl Coleman scored four straight, and then fed Will Johnson for two more, giving the Falcons a mini run to make it 16-9 with 13:23 to play in the half. After a pair of Raritan free throws, Coleman buried a three from the top-of-the-key to make it 18-12, and then hit another from the left wing in transition to make it 18-15 with under 12:30 to play.
 
Later in the half, Raritan held a 31-24 lead with just over four minutes to go. Neither team could seem to capitalize on the other's mistakes, but a deep Coleman three-pointer broke a scoreless string for the Falcons, bringing them within four points. After a good defensive possession, a long two from Jaylen Davis brought it to within two, and then another defensive stop led to Daryl Coleman going 1-for-2 from the free throw line, making it a 31-30 Raritan lead with 2:40 to go in the first half.
 
Both teams would begin to pick up the pace to close the half. A deep Carter three would end the scoreless spell for the Lions, but the Falcons would answer on a leaning bucket from Will Johnson. A Robinson three-point play would get answered by a Nashawn Johnson two-handed dunk from the baseline. A driving Eddie Davis lay-up would be answered by a deep Coleman three from the top of the key. And a leaning jumper from Raritan would get answered with a step-through and finish in the lane from Will Johnson, making it a 41-39 Raritan lead at the break.
 
After that back-and-forth, it seemed like only the Lions from Raritan were the ones to still have the shooting touch in the second half. Eddie Robinson hit a long three-pointer to start the scoring, his first of four straight threes to open the game, all part of a 14-2 run for the Lions that left them up 55-41 with not even three minutes gone by in the second half.
 
The Falcons never stopped hustling, twice getting the deficit down to eleven points, and twice getting it to within ten. Unfortunately, whenever Lackawanna College had a chance to cut the deficit to single-digits, they just couldn't get the bucket or the play they needed to close the gap.
 
Out of a timeout at 11:38, with Lackawanna down 62-50, Raritan buried a three from Ahmad Robinson from the top of the key, lengthening the lead back out to 15. Jaylen Davis answered with a corner three to bring it back to within 12, and an empty Raritan possession gave Nashawn Johnson a chance to make it 65-55 at the midway point of the half. Raritan would answer with a bucket off a turnover, getting the lead back out to 67-55 at the 9:35 mark.
 
That bucket would prove decisive, as the first of a back-breaking 14-1 run for the Lions to blow the game open at 79-56 with 6:12 to play. The Falcons would continue to scratch and claw, but they just couldn't get their shots to drop, while Raritan continued to hit the shots they needed to pull away.
 
With the victory, Raritan advances to the Region XIX DII Men's Basketball Championship, which they will host on Saturday February 26^th against the Delaware Tech CC Terry Hawks.
 
The Falcons finish their season at 8-17.