2/12/25
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – Lackawanna College men's basketball will look to extend its winning ways when the Falcons travel to take on Sussex County CC in a Region XIX DII/DIII crossover contest on Thursday, February 13^th, in the Garden State.
 
Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00pm ET inside the Sussex County CC Academics and Athletics Building gymnasium in Newton, NJ. There is a video livestream available via the SCCC Athletics YouTube Channel, linked HERE.
 
This is the second meeting between Lackawanna and Sussex on the year, with the Falcons taking a 95-81 victory back on December 12^th in Scranton. In that contest, Lackawanna built a double-digit lead, going up by as high as 25 in the first half, and leading by 17 at the break. The Skylanders cut the deficit to five with under nine to go, but Lackawanna hit a 16-5 run to re-establish itself and pull away for the win. The Falcons shot 48% from the field and made eleven three-pointers. You can read the recap from that game HERE.
 
About Lackawanna College
The Falcons (15-12) are on a four-game winning streak, fresh off an impressive home victory against County College of Morris on Tuesday night, 82-58. In that win, the Falcons led wire-to-wire, shooting 43% for the game and holding the normally high-flying Morris to just 30% on the night and 22 points below their usual season average. Lackawanna built a double-digit lead in the first half, and Morris couldn't answer to close that gap below ten the rest of the night. You can read the full recap HERE.
 
The Falcons average 80.3 points per contest, while giving up 80.5. Lackawanna is shooting 41.2% from the field and 28.6% from downtown, steadily improving as the year winds down. Meanwhile, Lackawanna opponents are hitting 43.9% and 31.6%, respectively. The Falcons are hitting 63.1% from the free throw line this year. Lackawanna has a + 2.3 rebounding margin, with 44.3 boards per game this year. The Falcons have a 0.9 assist/turnover ratio, with 392 assists vs. 455 turnovers. Lackawanna has forced 441 turnovers so far this season, a 16.3 turnovers per game average, and is averaging 9.5 steals per contest.
 
First-year guard Evan Laybourn-Boddie (Wilkes-Barre, PA) is averaging 18.4 points per game this season, 13th in Region XIX and fourth in Division II. He's shooting 40.3% from the floor and 72.2% from the free throw line. Laybourn-Boddie leads the team with 70 three-point makes, tied for first in all of Region XIX. He has dished out 109 assists (4.2 per game, tied for fourth in Region XIX DII) and leads the Falcons with 65 steals (2.5 per game) this season. Laybourn-Boddie has scored double-digits 22 times this season, putting up a season-and-career-high 35 points on February 4^th against Mercer County CC. Against the Vikings, ELB made a season-high 12 shots, including eight three-pointers, while dishing out seven assists in the victory. Laybourn-Boddie scored 23 points and set a season-high with eight rebounds, along with five assists in the win against Sussex back on December 12^th. Evan set his season-high with eleven assists and 17 points in the win against Rockland on January 11^th, going 11-for-16 from the free throw line. He matched that output from the line against Cecil on January 21^st, scoring 25 points and going 11-for-14 on the charity stripe in the loss. Laybourn-Boddie is averaging 23.3 points per game in his last seven games, scoring 20+ in five of those contests. He's shooting 50% from the floor in that span, while knocking down 25 three-pointers and averaging 5.4 assists per contest. He scored 29 points on 11-for-19 shooting against Morris on Tuesday, hitting five three-point shots and dishing out four assists.
 
Sophomore guard Shawnn Smith (Philadelphia, PA) is second on the team, averaging 15.4 points per game this season. Smith is shooting 44.9% from the floor and is 22-for-23 from the free throw line. He averages six rebounds per game and has 24 assists. He has scored 20 points or more in three games this season and has scored double-figures in nine of the ten games he's played. Smith had 23 points and seven rebounds, while playing all 40 minutes, in a loss to Montgomery County CC on November 6^th. He set a season-high with nine rebounds in the loss to PSU Scranton on November 4^th. Smith matched that season-high with nine rebounds against Essex, while also scoring 18 points and dishing out a pair of assists in the win for Lackawanna. Smith matched his season-best with nine rebounds and 15 points, along with a season-high five assists in the loss at Delaware Tech. Smith has not played the last 15 games for Lackawanna College due to injury, with his last appearance coming against DTCC in November.
 
Sophomore guard Nick Marabito (Upper Darby, PA) is averaging 14.1 points per game this season, third on the team. Marabito is shooting 36.7% from the floor, and has made 47 threes, second on the team. Marabito is a 74.6% free throw shooter and averages four rebounds per game this year. Marabito is second on the team with 27 steals and is third on the team with 38 assists this season. Marabito has scored in double-figures 17 times this year, with his season-high coming against Mercer County CC on December 10^th, scoring 23 points in the win against the Vikings. Marabito made seven shots from the floor and was 7-for-9 from the free throw line, while also pulling down five rebounds and putting up four steals. Marabito set a season-high for rebounds (12) and had 17 points in the win against Essex on January 14^th, going 6-for-20 from the floor. Marabito had 13 points, five rebounds, and a season-best eight assists in the win against Sussex in December. Marabito had a nice game against Westchester on January 9^th, leading the Falcons with 20 points on 7-for-15 shooting, hitting four three-pointers, and dishing out four assists. Marabito is averaging 17 points per game in his last four contests, shooting at 40.4% and averaging four rebounds per game. He scored 18 points and had five rebounds, while knocking down three three-pointers in the win against Rockland on Saturday. Nick did not play against Morris on Tuesday.
 
Sophomore forward Jireej Cole (Bronx, NY) has eight double-doubles in his first eleven games this season, all coming in the spring semester. Cole is averaging 10.4 points per game and 10.7 rebounds per game. He's shooting 60.3% from the floor and hitting 59% from the free throw line. Cole has scored double-figures in eight games this year, scoring his season-best 16 points in the loss to SUNY Westchester on January 9^th. He set his season-high with 15 rebounds in the loss to Cecil on January 21^st, scoring nine points for the Falcons. He had 13 points and eleven rebounds in the win against Essex on January 14^th, going 5-for-7 down the stretch on the free throw line. Cole has recorded a double-double five games in a row. He had ten points and ten rebounds in the win against Morris on Tuesday. Cole was not available for the Falcons in the first game against Sussex.
 
First-year guard Noah Elias (Silver Spring, MD) is averaging 9.5 points per game through his first eleven games of action in the spring semester. Elias is hitting 50.6% from the floor and has knocked down 20 three-pointers at a 44.4% clip from downtown. Elias is averaging 3.9 rebounds per game and has 24 assists through his eleven games. Elias scored his season-best 17 points in his debut against SUNY Westchester on January 9^th, hitting four three-pointers in the loss. Elias has five games where he has scored in double-figures for the Falcons, including three of his last four contests. Elias had two points and four assists in the win against Morris on Tuesday. Noah was not available for the Falcons in the fall semester against Sussex.
 
First-year stretch forward Noah McIntosh (Philadelphia, PA) is averaging 7.9 points per contest this year. McIntosh is shooting 41.9% from the floor and averages three rebounds per contest this season. He also has 21 assists, 18 steals, and a team-high 21 blocks. Noah has scored double-figures in eight games this season. He has scored his season-high 20 points twice this year, the first coming against Jefferson CC on November 9^th, hitting nine shots and pulling down seven rebounds. The second came in the win against Sussex on December 12^th, scoring 20 points on 9-for-12 shooting. McIntosh set his season-high for rebounds twice this season, pulling down seven boards in the opener against Thaddeus Stevens on November 2^nd, and then grabbing seven boards against Jefferson. McIntosh had eight points and two rebounds in the win against Morris on Tuesday night.
 
Sophomore guard Jasier Carter (North Brunswick, NJ) is averaging 6.9 points per game this season, shooting 52.7% from the floor. Carter averages 4.2 rebounds per game and has 37 assists, fourth on the team, and 19 steals this season. Carter scored a season-high 20 points twice this season, first doing it against Raritan, along with a season-best eight rebounds on December 3^rd. He matched that season-high against Morris back in December, scoring 20 points and grabbing six rebounds in the loss. He has scored double-figures six times this season, putting up 14 points against SUNY Ulster on November 12^th, then scoring ten points and matching his season-high rebounds with eight boards against Mercer in December. Carter set a season-high with four assists, four rebounds, and six points in the win against Essex on January 14^th, then matched that season-high with four assists in the loss to Orange on January 23^rd. Carter had six points and five rebounds in the win against Morris earlier this week. He scored three points and had a pair of assists in the win against Sussex back in December.
 
First-year forward Tyrick Moy (Williamsport, PA) is averaging 5.5 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per game this season, third on the team. Moy shoots 43.7% from the floor and has 23 assists this season. Moy has scored double-figures four times this year, putting up a season-high 17 points and eight rebounds in the win against Jamestown. Moy scored all eight points in overtime for the Falcons. Moy's season-high in rebounding came against Ulster, where he pulled down 12 boards and scored nine points on November 12^th. Moy had four points and eight rebounds in the win against Sussex back in December. He scored two points and had four boards in the victory against Morris.
 
Head coach Kirk Fallon is in his second season as the head coach, and his fifth overall with Lackawanna College men's basketball. Fallon came to the Falcons after a successful two seasons coaching girls basketball at Susquehanna Community HS. Fallon led the Lady Sabers to back-to-back PIAA District 2 championships and a 40-17 record in his two years. Before that, he was also a college basketball assistant at Keystone College for four seasons, where he was involved a lot of the logistics for the program. Kirk has a Bachelor's degree from Marywood, where he played three seasons for the Pacers. He's a northeast PA native, graduating from Susquehanna as a 1,000-point scorer. Fallon is 23-30 in his career at Lackawanna as head coach.
 
About Sussex County CC
The Skylanders (7-18) have had a tough spring semester, going 3-9 since January 1^st, and losing their last two games. Sussex dropped a 91-66 game on the road at Delaware County CC last Saturday, February 8^th. Delco shot 54% from the floor and hit nine threes, while limiting the Skylanders to 39.3% shooting and a 3-for-17 performance from deep. The Phantoms forced 16 turnovers and turned that into 18 points, using a 47-30 second half margin to pull away for the win.
 
Sussex is averaging 76.8 points per game this year, while giving up 84.9 points per game on defense. The Skylanders are shooting 42% from the floor this season and are making 27.8% of their three-point attempts. Sussex's opponents are shooting 48% from the floor this season and are hitting 36.2% from three-point range. Sussex has a +1.2 rebounding margin on the season, pulling down 39.2 rebounds per game, while their opponents average 38 boards per game. The Skylanders average 16.2 turnovers per game, and 7.7 steals per game. Their opponents are averaging around 13 turnovers per game this season.
 
First-year guard Kendrick Davis is one of four different players scoring double-figures this season, and he leads the Skylanders at 19 points per game on the year, shooting 43% from the floor and hitting 29.3% from beyond the arc. He also leads the team on the free throw line, hitting 73.8% from the stripe. Davis is second on the team with 3.2 assists per game and pulls down 3.2 rebounds per game this year. Davis has 23 games in double-figures scoring this season, going for 20+ points in ten games this year. Davis set his season-best in the win at SUNY Ulster CC on January 23^rd, scoring 43 points on 13 makes, which included seven made three-pointers and a 10-for-10 showing from the free throw line. Against Ulster, he also matched his season-high with six assists. He had 21 points and six assists against Passaic County back on December 10^th. Against Lackawanna College in December, he had 27 points on eleven made shots. Against Delaware County last weekend, he had 17 points and a season-high seven rebounds.
 
First-year guard Marlon Torres is second on the team with 15.9 points per game on the year. Torres is shooting 39.3% from the floor and hitting 33% from the three-point line. Torres is fourth on the team with 4.4 rebounds per game this year, while also leading the Skylanders with 4.2 assists per game. He is also the team-leader at 1.8 steals per contest. Torres has scored double-figures 18 times this season, going for 20+ on eight separate occasions. He set his season-best in a loss to the Community College of Philadelphia on January 25^th, scoring 37 points on 13-for-19 shooting. He hit six three-pointers in the loss and set a season-high with six steals. Against Passaic on December 10^th, he had 35 points, hitting a season-high seven three-pointers. He has one double-double this season, scoring 17 points and pulling down ten rebounds in a win against RCSJ Cumberland on December 14^th. Against Ulster on January 23^rd, he had four points and a season-best nine assists. Torres scored 15 points, grabbed two boards, and had three assists in the loss to Lackawanna in December. He had 15 points, five assists, and three rebounds against Delco last weekend.
 
First-year guard Edwin Dorbor is third on the team at 13.5 points per game this year, shooting at 43.7% from the floor and hitting 31.6% of his three-point attempts. Dorbor is second on the team at 7.4 rebounds per game this season, while also averaging three assists per game and one steal per game. Dorbor has scored double-figures in 18 games this year, setting a season-high with 28 points against Cumberland in December, where he made nine shots and was 9-for-11 from the free throw line, while also grabbing eight boards and setting a season-high with four steals. Dorbor had a season-high eleven makes from the floor and three three-pointers while scoring 25 points in a win against Ulster back in December. Dorbor has four double-doubles this year, with his best coming against Luzerne County CC in November, scoring 20 points and pulling down a season-high 15 rebounds in the win. Dorbor had ten points, nine rebounds, and four assists in the loss to Lackawanna in December. He had 15 points and eleven rebounds in the loss to Delco last weekend.
 
First-year center Jayshon Williams is fourth on the team at 11.5 points per game this season, shooting 58.6% from the floor. Williams leads the Skylanders with 9.8 rebounds per game this season, while also putting up 1.1 steals per game. He has 17 games in double-figures scoring this season and 15 games with double-figures in rebounding. Williams has 12 double-doubles this season. His season-best in points came with 21 points on 9-for-13 shooting in the win against Thaddeus Stevens on November 9^th. He also had 13 rebounds in that win. He had eleven points and a season-best 16 rebounds against Passaic on December 3^rd. Williams had 20 points and 15 rebounds in the win at Lehigh Carbon CC on January 14^th. He put up ten points and had 13 rebounds in the loss to Lackawanna in December. He scored seven points and had seven rebounds in the loss to Delaware County CC this past Saturday.
 
John O'Hara is the head men's basketball coach at Sussex, now in his second season. O'Hara was originally hired as the women's coach, which he did for the 2022-2023 season, before taking over the men's program the next year.
 
The Match-Up
This is the second match-up between the two sides, this year, with the first coming back on December 12^th at Lackawanna, a 95-81 win. That game was the first time in 17 years that Lackawanna and Sussex had played a men's basketball game.
 
Tip-off is scheduled for Thursday, February 13^th at 6:00pm ET inside the Sussex County CC Academics and Athletics Building gymnasium in Newton, NJ. There is a video livestream available via the SCCC Athletics YouTube Channel, linked HERE.
 
As it is a cross-divisional game in Region XIX, this game does not have any bearings on the Region XIX standings for either team.
 
Lackawanna College will next be back at home as its regular season winds down. The Falcons will host SUNY Westchester CC on Saturday, February 15^th, inside the historic Lackawanna College Student Union gymnasium. Tip is at 3:00pm ET and it will be the Sophomore Day celebration, as the Falcons will recognize their departing sophomore class. It's the second game of a doubleheader, with the women's team hosting Salem CC first at 1:00pm ET.