Mighty Oaks Basketball Teams Wraps up with Salutes to Seniors

02/17/2014

The Mighty Oaks basketball team closed its 2013-2014 season with a tough down-to-the-wire 82-76 loss to Davis College at home on Senior Day.

The Mighty Oaks, ranked 19th in the U.S. Collegiate Athletic Association, lost their last game Feb. 15 despite strong play from sophomore Suthod Young who had a game-high 26 points and 14 rebounds; freshman Kyle Peck, 14 points; and junior Danny MacElrath, 10 points and 4 rebounds.

This strong group of returning players should help continue the upward trajectory of the program next season.

Before the game, ESF saluted its seniors for their contributions to a team that finished the year with a record of 6-12, doubling the number of wins from the program's inaugural varsity season last year. The seniors are No. 31 Brett Zimmerman (Round Top, N.Y.) and the captains, No. 30 Christian Jenne (Dryden, N.Y.) and No. 44 Andrew LaPolt (Gloversville, N.Y.).

The exciting first half saw both teams exchanging baskets as Davis and ESF traded leads on multiple occasions. With six minutes to play, though, Davis erupted in a 21-13 run. Young's three-pointer at the buzzer put ESF in striking distance and the score at the half was 39-35.

In the she second half, Davis started to pick apart the Mighty Oak's zone defense and opened up a 12-point lead with four minutes to go. Led by some key outside shooting by MacElrath and Peck, the Mighty Oaks came within eight with two minutes to play. Three straight turnovers by Davis then led to a Zimmerman three-point shot, which cut the margin to five points and 39 seconds to play. A missed jumper and an empty free throw chance kept ESF from the win as Davis ended it six points up.

In addition to honors for this year's seniors, the team invited ESF graduates for the first Alumni Game.

— By Audrey Hart SU '15