2/18/23
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – With two games left in their regular season, the Lackawanna College men's basketball squad comes to some of its most important games of the season.
 
Their first game of the weekend is on Saturday, February 18^th, when the Falcons travel to County College of Morris in Randolph, NJ for their final Region XIX DII game. Tip-off is set for 12:00pm ET inside the Morris gymnasium on campus in the Physical Education building. The Falcons, the second-seed in the Region XIX DII standings, need to win to keep their spot and earn at least a home game in the Region XIX semi-finals. A loss could drop the Falcons as far as fourth, forcing them to play on the road in the semi-finals. There is no video livestream available for the game between the Falcons and the Titans.
 
The second game of the weekend is scheduled for the next day, Sunday, February 19^th, when the Falcons travel to Valhalla, NY to take on the SUNY Westchester Vikings to close out the regular season. That game is set for a 3:00pm ET tip-off, and will be the second game of a doubleheader, with the women's teams set to start first at 1:00pm ET. There will be a video livestream available, via the Westchester Athletics Facebook page, which can be accessed HERE.
 
The Falcons played both the Titans and the Vikings already this season, coincidentally, the Morris game right before the Westchester game, back in January. The Falcons defeated Morris 84-72 in Scranton on January 11^th, using a 15-3 run to close out the Titans for the big home win. You can read the recap HERE. 
 
Three days later, Lackawanna took on SUNY Westchester, overcoming a sluggish first half with a pair of killer 11-2 second half runs to put the Vikings away for the 65-50 win, the fourth straight for the Falcons at the time. You can read that recap HERE.

About The Falcons
Lackawanna College (16-9, 6-3) comes into the weekend after knocking off SUNY Rockland with a strong second half performance to take a 90-86 win at home on Thursday. The Falcons put five players in double-figures and scored 49 points in the second half to overcome a first-half deficit that got as high as eight against the Hawks. The Falcons were 22-for-33 from the free throw line for the game, and got 26 points from Aamir Mack, while Nashawn Johnson scored 16 points and posted 14 rebounds, with 12 points and ten boards coming in the second half. You can read the recap HERE.
 
As things stand right now in the Region XIX DII standings, the Falcons are 6-3 and the second seed in the region, 1.5 games behind Raritan Valley, who is 8-2. The Lackawanna hold on second place is still tenuous, however, with both Morris (5-4) and Essex (5-4) each just a game behind. The Falcons' final region game is this road game at Morris on Saturday. A win, and the Falcons can secure the two-seed and a home game in the Region XIX playoffs. Raritan Valley has already secured the top-seed and home court advantage. Essex has one more game remaining, a road game at winless Delaware Tech CC on Saturday. A win for the Wolverines, coupled with a Falcon loss to Morris, could drop the Falcons as far as fourth, with Morris hopping them to second and Essex settling in at third.
 
The Falcons are averaging 80.2 points per game this season, and are allowing 75.2 points per game on the year. The Falcons are shooting 43.8% from the field, and are hitting around 29.7% on the year from downtown. Lackawanna gets to the free throw line a lot, going 357-for-552 so far this season, a 64.7% clip. The Falcons average 41 rebounds per game, with a +3.6 margin, and they have forced an average of 18.7 turnovers per game, with nine steals per contest for the Falcon defense. Opponents are shooting 42.9% from the field this season, and have hit 30.2% of their three-point attempts this year. Falcon opponents have forced an average of 16.8 Lackawanna turnovers per game.   
 
Nasir Brown (Wilmington, DE) is one of four Lackawanna players in double-figures and leads the Falcons in scoring at 15 points per game. He is fifth on the team in rebounding (4.2), and leads the team in 3PT FGs made (39). Brown is tops on the team in FT% (76.2%), and is fourth on the team with 25 steals this season. Nasir is fourth on the team in assists, with 43 helpers on the season. He's hit double-figures in 18 games this year, and had gone for 20 or more points in four straight games already this season. His season-high of 25 points came against Essex back in November. Brown hit a season-high ten shots from the field, and had four steals, tying a season-high. Brown has scored in double-figures in nine of 12 games in the spring semester for the Falcons. Brown had 16 points on 7-for-15 shooting, and put up three rebounds and three assists in the win over Rockland on Thursday night. Against Morris, Brown had 18 points on 7-for-17 shooting, with two boards and four assists in the win for Lackawanna. Against Westchester, Brown had just five points on 2-for-9 shooting, with three boards and three assists in the win.     
 
Aamir Mack (Atlantic City, NJ) is second on the team in scoring, averaging 12.8 points per game. Mack averages 4.7 rebounds per game, tied for third on the team, and hits around 52% of his shots from the field. Mack also has made 58.6% of his shots from the free throw line this year, and is a 38% 3PT shooter. Mack has hit for double-figures in points 17 times this season, going for his season-high 26 points twice in the last week. He first did it in the win over Raritan, where he was 12-for-20 from the floor, and also set his season-high with 12 rebounds for his third double-double of the year. Mack did it again when he had 26 points on 9-for-15 shooting and made six free throws in the win over Rockland on Thursday. Mack has scored in double-figures in six of seven games, averaging 17.4 points per game and 6.1 rebounds per game in that span. Against Morris, Mack had 13 points, three rebounds, and three assists in the win. Against Westchester, he had just four points on 1-for-8 shooting and three boards in the win.  
 
Malek Mims (Bethlehem, PA) is third on the team with 11.6 points per game this season. Mims leads the Falcons in steals (45), and averages 3.9 rebounds per game from his point guard spot. Mims has hit on 43.4% of his shots this season, and is second on the team in assists (67) this year. He's also second on the team in made three-point shots (29) this season. Mims has scored in double-figures 18 times this season, going for his season-best 20 points against Dundalk in November. In that game, he went 7-for-10 from the field, while pulling down six boards and compiling six steals. Against Rockland on Thursday, Mims had eleven points on 3-for-10 shooting, with five rebounds and five assists, as well as three steals in the win. Against Morris, he had 18 points, six rebounds, and two assists in the win. Then, against Westchester, he had five points, six rebounds, and five assists in the victory.   
 
Caleb Mims (Bethlehem, PA) is fourth on the team at 10.8 points per game this year. Mims is first on the team in assists (72), and averages 3.8 rebounds per game from his guard position. He's also second on the team in steals (43). Mims shoots 43.4% from the field, and leads the Falcons in free throw attempts (107) and makes (72), shooting 67.3% overall from the line. Mims has scored in double-figures 14 times this year including seven of his last nine games. He went for his season-high against SUNY Orange last month, scoring 22 points on 8-for-16 shooting, grabbing five rebounds and making four three-point shots. Mims is shooting 46.1% in that span, scoring 120 combined points, averaging 13.3 per game in that span. Mims had 16 points, 12 in the second half, and ten rebounds, his first double-double of the year, in the win against Raritan Valley last week. He had ten points, three rebounds, and two assists in the win against Rockland on Thursday. He had seven points, four rebounds, and four steals in the victory against Morris, and had nine points, five boards, and three assists in the win over Westchester.    
 
Nashawn Johnson (Bronx, NY) is averaging 8.7 points per game this year. He's first on the team with 6.5 rebounds per game, and is shooting 43.2% from the field on the year. An All-Region selection in 2021, Nashawn is a 55.7% free throw shooter this year, and is third on the team with six blocks on the year. Nashawn has gone for double-figures in eight games this year, and scored his season-high 16 points in the Falcons last game against SUNY Rockland. Nashawn had 16 points and 14 rebounds, his second double-double this season, going 6-for-10 from the floor and 4-for-6 from the free throw line. Nashawn had 12 points and ten rebounds in the second half to help the Falcons to the win. Johnson had a season-best 16 rebounds in the home win vs. Delaware Tech back in November. Against Morris, Johnson had 14 points and seven rebounds in the Falcons win. Against Westchester, he was even better, scoring 15 points to help the Falcons to the win. At one point, Nashawn had nine straight points as part of an 11-2 run in the second half that staked the Falcons to a lead they'd never surrender.

Rahmad Ali (Newark, NJ) is averaging 7.4 points per game this season, while also pulling down 5.3 rebounds per game, second on the team. Ali is third on the squad with 58 total assists, and is third on the team in steals (33) this season. Ali is shooting 44.2% from the field this year, and is shooting 35.2% from downtown this season, making 25 three-point shots, third on the team. Rahmad has gone for double-figures eight times this season, and set his season-high with 20 points in the win over Mercer this past weekend. Ali was 7-for-10 from the floor, and hit three three-pointers, while also setting his season-best with 15 rebounds in the win. He also had six assists and matched his season-best with four steals in the victory. Ali had his season-high seven assists in the win over Morris at home last month. Ali left the Rockland game after aggravating an injury just six minutes in. He didn't score and had just one rebound. Against Morris earlier this year, he had nine points, five boards, and those seven assists in the win. Against Westchester, he had seven points, six rebounds, and three helpers in the Falcons' win.    
 
Julian Wilson (Williamsport, PA) has become a key bench role player for the Falcons. Wilson is averaging 5.2 points per game in his 20 appearances, and has pulled down around 4.7 rebounds per game on the campaign. Wilson is shooting around 56.3% from in close at the basket, and has scored in double-figures five times this season. Against Mercer in December, Wilson had 20 points and 12 rebounds, scoring 18 points in the last ten minutes of the second half. Against PSU Hazleton, the big guy had 13 points in 18 minutes of work, pulling down four rebounds and going a perfect 6-for-6 from the floor. Wilson missed Thursday's game against Rockland with an illness, but is expected to be available on Saturday. He was held scoreless in just nine minutes of work against Morris, and had just two points in eight minutes of playing time against Westchester earlier this year.   
 
In his third season in charge, Landon Gabriel returns to the sidelines to lead the Falcons. Gabriel, who spent ten seasons coaching at Carbondale Area HS in the rough and tumble Lackawanna League, feels like this can be a season of positive momentum for the Falcons, where, now with his first true recruiting class, he can really implement the high-tempo defense and energy he wants to see from his squad. Gabriel is a King's College graduate, where he played for the Monarchs, after graduating from Carbondale Area HS before that.
 
About County College of Morris
The County College of Morris Titans (13-9, 5-4) lost to Lackawanna back in January in the midst of what became a five-game losing streak, but the Titans have since pulled out of their tailspin, winning eight of their last ten games, including their last four in a row. The latest triumph for the Titans came against Bergen CC, where Morris won convincingly, 97-65. The Titans put it on the Bulldogs, scoring 58 points in the first half to open up a 28-point advantage at the break. The Titans shot 49.4% from the field for the game, and outrebounded Bergen 55-to-37, while forcing 17 turnovers. Five players scored in double-figures, with Andres Moreno's 27 points, ten rebounds, and eight assists leading the way. Daniel Oravbiere added 18 points and 14 boards, as well as seven blocks, and Jael Maldonado put up ten points and ten boards.
 
As a team, Morris is scoring around 77.5 points per game, while giving up 69.8 on the year. Morris is shooting a solid 47.1% this season, and their opponents are hitting around 40.2%. Opponents have hit just 27.8% from three-point range, and the Titans have been great, going 37.8% from downtown on the season. Morris has an impressive +12 rebounding margin this year, and is averaging just under 12 offensive boards per game. The Titans force around 14.7 turnovers per game, and average about 9.5 steals per contest, while blocking nearly five shots per game.    
 
Morris has a balanced attack with five players averaging double-figures on the season. Jael Maldonado leads the way with 13.6 points per game this year. Maldonado is shooting 50% from the field this season, and is a 59.3% free throw shooter. He's second on the team with 9.4 rebounds per contest, and leads the team with 2.7 assists per contest. He's fourth on the team with 1.3 steals per contest this season. Maldonado has hit double-figures in scoring 14 times this season, with his season-high of 30 points coming against Compass Prep back on February 7^th. In that game, Maldonado was 11-for-16 from the floor and was 7-for-8 from the free throw line, and he pulled down ten rebounds for a double-double, one of eight double-doubles on the year. Against Essex back in December, he had an impressive 23 points and a season-high 18 rebounds in a narrow loss. Maldonado has hit his season-high of five assists in a game five times this year. Maldonado had ten points and ten boards with four assists in the win over Bergen. He did not play against Lackawanna earlier this season.  
 
Daniel Oravbiere is second on the team, averaging 12.7 points per game, while shooting a team-high 54.5% from the field this season. Oravbiere is the team-leader in rebounds, averaging 12.7 rebounds per contest, and is the team-leader in blocks at 4.4 blocks per contest. Ovrabiere is averaging just over one steal per game, and around two assists per game. He's hit double-figures 15 times this season, going for his season-high 30 points in a 111-63 win over Clarks Summit JV, where he was 12-for-16 from the floor and 6-for-10 from the free throw line, while pulling down eleven rebounds and blocking six shots. In all, Oravbiere has gone for double-digits in rebounds in 18 games this year, hitting his season-high with 18 rebounds in a 102-75 win over Rockland back on January 27^th. He has 15 double-doubles on the year, and has grabbed double-digit rebounds in 18 straight games. His season-high of eight blocks came against Sussex County CC in a 67-51 win. Oravbiere had 18 points 14 rebounds in the win over Bergen on Thursday. He had ten points and 16 rebounds in the loss to Lackawanna earlier this season.
Kyle Philistin is third on the team, averaging 11.7 points per game this season. Philistin is shooting 43.8% from the field, and at 33% from downtown. He's also an 81% shooter from the free throw line, second on the team. Philistin is second on the team in steals per game, averaging 1.7 swipes per contest, and is averaging 2.0 assists per game this year. Philistin has hit double-figures in 14 games this season, twice going for his season-high of 23 points in back-to-back games against Clarks Summit JV and Delaware Tech CC. Against Del Tech, Philistin hit a season-best ten shots from the floor, while he set a season-high with four three-point makes against Clarks Summit, while also setting his season-high with six assists. Against Compass Prep, Philistin had his lone double-double, with eleven points and a season-high ten boards in the win. He had ten points, three rebounds, and four assists in the win over Bergen on Thursday. Against Lackawanna in January, he had 19 points on 7-for-12 shooting, with six rebounds and two assists.      
 
James Taylor is fourth on the squad, scoring 11.5 points per game this season. Taylor is a 43.6% shooter from the field this season, and leads the team with a 42.2% average from downtown, making about two three-pointers per game. He's an 89.5% shooter from the free throw line this year. Taylor averages 2.8 rebounds per game this year. Taylor has nine games in double-figures this season, going for his season-best 26 points in a 93-65 win over Delaware Tech back on February 14^th. Taylor was 9-for-14 from the floor, and hit a season-high eight three-point shots in the win. Taylor has twice achieved his season-high of five rebounds on the year. He had nine points, three rebounds, and three assists in the win over Bergen on Thursday. Against Lackawanna, he had a (at-the-time) season-high 22 points in defeat.  
 
Andres Moreno is averaging 11.2 points per game this season, and shooting at 52.6% from the field on the year. Moren also hits at 36.4% from the field, and is a 75.4% free throw shooter. Moreno averages around 5.8 rebounds per game, and dishes out 2.3 assists per game, second on the team. He also averages 1.8 steals per game, a team best. Andres has hit double-figures in scoring eleven times this year, nine of them coming in the spring semester. Moreno's season-high came in his last game, against Bergen, where he had 27 points on 12-for-18 shooting. Moreno also set season-highs in rebounds (10) and assists (8) in the win for the Titans. Moreno had ten points and eight rebounds in the loss to Lackawanna back in January.
 
The head coach for County College of Morris is Anthony Obrey, who has been in charge of the Titans since January 2016, when he took over on an interim basis midway through the year. At the time, the Titans were 1-11, with their one win coming from a forfeit. Obrey would guide Morris to a 4-7 record the rest of the way, and, after a four-win first full season, he'd have the Titans at 21-9 in the '17-'18 season, followed by a 23-5 season the next year. The Titans were 6-0 last year in the pandemic-shortened, truncated '20-'21 season. Obrey has gone 83-66 as the head coach at Morris.


 
About SUNY Westchester
SUNY Westchester CC (12-15) had dropped three straight before picking up a win over SUNY Ulster, 84-41, at home on Tuesday. In that game, Westchester shot 42.4% from the field while holding the Senators to just 25.5% from the floor, and 3-for-17 from deep for the game. The Vikings held the Senators to just 21 points in the first half, and then 20 points in the second, while forcing 30 turnovers and putting four players in double-figures on the day. Omar Nkonde had a team-high 23 points and nine rebounds, while Ed Beqiri had 16 points, eight rebounds, and a team-best six assists.
 
As a team, Westchester is scoring just over 77 points per game, while giving up an average of 70.2 per game on the year. The Vikings are shooting around 44% this season, and their opponents are hitting around 42.6%. Opponents have hit 30.1% from three-point range, and the Vikings are a little behind that at 28.4% from deep this year. The Vikings shoot around 68.4% from the free throw line. Westchester has a +10 rebounding margin this year, and is turning its opponents over nearly 17 times per game. But the Vikings average over 20 turnovers per game, and opponents average just over ten steals per contest.    
 
Westchester has a balanced attack, with three players averaging double-figures on the season. Ed Beqiri is averaging a team-best 16.5 points per game this year, shooting 47.1% from the field, and 32.9% from downtown this year. Beqiri is a 70.5% free throw shooter, second on the team, where he has made (86) and attempted (122) more free throws than the rest of his teammates. Beqiri averages 6.7 rebounds per game this year, good for second on the team. He's first in assists (93) and steals (49), while placing second in total blocks (21). Beqiri has scored in double-figures 24 times this year, going over 20 points on ten different occasions. His season-high of 30 points came in an 80-65 loss to Sullvan back on February 7^th, where Beqiri had 30 points on 10-for-27 shooting, hitting nine free throws in the loss. His season-high 12 rebounds came twice this year in losses to Raritan and Essex. Beqiri has four double-doubles this year, scoring a 16-point, ten-assists double-double in a 100-80 win over Raritan valley back on January 17^th. Beqiri had 16 points, eight rebounds, and six assists in the win over Ulster on Thursday. He had 13 points, six rebounds, and four assists in the loss to the Lackawanna back in January.  
 
Omar Nkonde is second on the team, averaging 15.1 points per game this year, and shooting a team-best 58.3% from the floor this year. Nkonde leads the Vikings in rebounds at 8.7 boards per contest, and is also the premiere shot-blocker on the squad, with 50 rejections on the year. Nkonde also has 47 total assists, fourth on the team this season. Nkonde has scored in double-figures 21 times this season, going for his season-best 31 points against Raritan Valley, where he was 15-for-25 from the floor and set a season-high with 18 rebounds. That was the best of Nkonde's eight double-doubles this year. Nkonde had 23 points, nine rebounds, and three steals in the win over Ulster on Thursday. He had 22 points and 13 rebounds in the loss to Lackawanna in January.  
 
Yenfry Paulino is averaging 11.7 points per game this season, and is third on the team with 6.3 rebounds per game on the year. Paulino is shooting 53.7% from the field, and is a 75.3% free throw shooter on the year. He is second on the Vikings in total steals (40), and has 62 assists, third on the team. Paulino has scored in double-figures 16 times this season, going for his season-best 26 points against Essex County College, where he was 10-for-14 from the floor and had ten rebounds, as well as four assists, in the double-overtime loss. Paulino has two double-doubles on the year, with his other coming against Erie CC, where he put up a season-high 13 rebounds, to go with ten points, in a 79-73 loss to the Kats. He set a season-high with seven assists in the win over LaGuardia. Against Bergen, he had 12 points, seven rebounds, and four steals, while he did not play in the first game against Lackawanna this year.
 
Kishaun Cole is averaging 8.7 points per game this year. Cole is shooting around 39.9% from the field, and is a 30.9% three-point shooter, making 25 triples on the year, second on the team. Cole is second on the team with 69 total assists, and is fourth on the team with 26 total steals this season. Cole has scored in double-figures eleven times this season, going for his season-high 24 points in a loss to SUNY Orange earlier this season. Against the Colts, Cole was 10-for-18 from the field, while compiling seven assists and four steals. Cole has one double-double on the year, coming against SUNY Suffolk, where he had 12 points and a season-best ten assists in the win. Cole did not play against Bergen, and hasn't played since February 9^th. He also missed the first game with Lackawanna College.
 
Trevor Mooney is averaging 7.3 points per game this year, shooting 39.7% from the field for the year, and hitting in 31% of his three-point shots. Mooney averages 4.1 rebounds per game, while putting up 29 assists on the year. Mooney has scored in double-figures seven times this season, exploding for a season-best 27 points in the win over Raritan back in January. Mooney was 8-for-16 from the floor, hit five three-pointers, and had a season-best 14 rebounds in the win over the Lions. It was his lone double-double of the year. Mooney had eight points and five boards in the win over Ulster. He scored six points and had five rebounds in the loss to Lackawanna back in January.
 
Jaiden Brown is averaging 6.7 points per game this season, shooting 35.8% from the field in 26 appearances. Brown is a 30.8% 3PT shooter, and averages 4.3 rebounds per game. He's also tied for second with Yenfry Paulino on the team with 40 total steals this season. Brown has scored in double-figures six times this season, going for a season-high 24 points on 10-for-13 shooting, hitting four three-pointers and grabbing seven rebounds in the win. His season-high in rebounds came against Anne Arundel, where he had ten boards. He had 18 points and nine rebounds in the win over Ulster on Thursday. Against Lackawanna in January, he had just four points and three rebounds.    
 
The head coach for SUNY Westchester CC is Andre Pennicooke, a Westchester alum in his first season as the head coach with the Vikings. Pennicooke, a 2008 graduate from Westchester, is a familiar face to the Westchester County basketball scene, having served as an assistant coach with a pair of NCAA Division III schools (Mt. Saint Vincent and Manhattanville) for the previous five seasons. He has also been the head coach with the Minutemen Athletic Club AAU program, where he started in 2012, and was the associate head coach at Sacred Heart HS in Yonkers for four seasons. Pennicooke graduated from Westchester in 2008, then moved on to Iona College, where he graduated with a degree in Business Administration, before getting his masters from Manhattanville in Sports Business and Entertainment Management.
 
Game Information
The first game of the weekend is on Saturday, February 18^th, when the Falcons travel to County College of Morris in Randolph, NJ for their final Region XIX DII game. Tip-off is set for 12:00pm ET inside the Morris gymnasium on campus in the Physical Education building. The Falcons, the second-seed in the Region XIX DII standings, need to win to keep their spot and earn at least a home game in the Region XIX semi-finals. A loss could drop the Falcons as far as fourth, forcing them to play on the road in the semi-finals. There is no video livestream available for the game between the Falcons and the Titans.
 
The second game of the weekend is scheduled for the next day, Sunday, February 19^th, when the Falcons travel to Valhalla, NY to take on the SUNY Westchester Vikings to close out the regular season. That game is set for a 3:00pm ET tip-off, and will be the second game of a doubleheader, with the women's teams set to start first at 1:00pm ET. There will be a video livestream available, via the Westchester Athletics Facebook page, which can be accessed HERE.
 
Lackawanna College has one more game after Westchester, as the Falcons will await confirmation on their fate for the Region XIX playoff seeding.