THE FACTS
Wilkes (6-3) 74, Gettysburg (4-6) 68
What: Non-conference men's basketball game
When: Monday, Dec. 29
Where: Salem, Va.
THE SKINNY STORY
Wilkes scored the final six points of the game to break a 68-all deadlock and defeat Gettysburg 74-68 in the opening round of the Cregger Invitational at Roanoke.
THE LEADERS
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Aidan Mess (Columbia, Md./Mt. St. Joseph) led the Bullets with 22 points that included hitting 16 of 17 free throws. He also had eight rebounds and five blocked shots.
FOR THE FOES
• Eli Becker led the Colonels with 20 points and nine rebounds.
THE REST OF THE STORY
• A pair of three-point plays bookended a 10-2 start to the game for Wilkes that featured four baskets from four different players. A
Malachi Briscoe (California, Md./St. Mary's Ryken) triple and
Caleb Gillus (Falls Church, Va./Sidwell Friends School [D.C.]) three-point play closed the deficit to 10-8 with 15:42 showing. However, the Colonels scored seven in a row to push the lead to nine nearly two minutes later. Five straight points from Gillus sparked a 16-6 stretch over a 6-minute, 36-second span to give Gettysburg its first lead of the game with 6:14 on the clock. Two
Aidan Mess (Columbia, Md./Mt. St. Joseph) free throws stretched the lead to 26-23 before a Daniel Santaniello 3-pointer retied the game with 5:38 showing. Four straight points from Mess put the Bullets back in front, 30-26. Jack Argent cut the deficit in half with 3:18 remaining before the teams traded baskets over the final 1:38 of the half and an Eli Becker basket-and-foul with 45 ticks left pulled Wilkes within 34-33 at the break.
• Wilkes scored the first 11 points of the second half to open up a 44-34 lead.
Ray Zamloot (Caldwell, N.J./James Caldwell) broke up the run, hitting a layup with 17:03 on the clock. Trailing 48-40, Zamloot canned a 3-pointer and Mess converted a three-point play to trim the margin to two with 13:08 remaining. Colin Ackerman, however, scored back-to-back layups and Lucas Lesko added one for Wilkes to stretch the advantage back to 54-46 midway through the half. Back-to-back triples from
Lorenzo Carrara (Norwood, Mass./Xaverian Brothers) capped a 14-2 Bullets run that put his team back in front 60-56 with 5:35 to play. A Mess three-point play gave Gettysburg a 63-58 advantage with 4:58 showing but Wilkes scored the next eight points to turn the five-point deficit into a three-point lead with 3:09 remaining. A pair of
Reece Craft (Downingtown, Pa./Devon Prep) layups tied the game at 68-all but Becker hit a jumper with 45 seconds left for a 70-68 edge. The Colonels hit all four free throws in the final 22 seconds to seal the win.
THE INSIDE STORY
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Aidan Mess's 16 made free throws were the most in a game for a Bullets player since Ron Warner made 22 from the stripe against St. Joseph's on Feb. 13, 1962.
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Lorenzo Carrara added 13 points, going 3-for-3 from long range.
NEXT UP
Gettysburg returns to action in the consolation game against Husson on Tuesday. Game time is 12 p.m.
