PLATTSBURGH — “It’s over.”
Those are the words by Plattsburgh State’s Kevin Tabb as he walked towards the endline after being fouled with under five seconds to go.
“I already knew (I’d make them,” Tabb said. “That’s because in practice we always work on these moments, the pressure-filled moments like free throws.
“I knew they’d go in, I just delivered.”
Those free throws closed out the game, as Morrisville was unable to make a game tying three pointer, leading to the Plattsburgh State men’s basketball team win, 69-66, and advancing in the SUNYAC tournament.
“Just really proud of our guys,” PSU head coach Mike Blaine said. “We were very consistent in our approach for 40 minutes. We had some, some some slumps, we had some some lulls, but we stayed consistent.
“We stayed to get connected and together with each other for 40 minutes, and that allowed us an opportunity to hit our stride a little bit better in the second half when we needed to and close out a really good Morrisville team.”
It was a game that the Cardinals never trailed in. The closest the Mustangs got was to tie the game several times.
Each time they did, Plattsburgh responded.
“We had a great crowd,” Franklin Infante said. “This group of guys, we’re resilient and I think it’s been better together.
“When we came together, we got what we needed, we got buckets when we needed and we put it together. We got some things we could clean up, but we’re getting there”
Infante was right about the crowd, as it was a packed house inside Memorial Hall that witnessed Plattsburgh State grab its first postseason win since 2017-2018.
“It was a beautiful crowd,” Tabb said. “I love the support. Frank, we’ve been through a lot starting with 2-23 our freshman year.
“We’re here right now, going to the second round this big for us.”
When the game was over Tabb and Infante hugged as they both talked about what a journey they’ve been on together. The two seniors have seen the lows and are now seeing the work pay off.
“I think we got a lot of guys with pride in this program,” Blaine said. “We’ve got a lot of guys that have individual pride, but understand the history and the tradition that comes with putting on a Plattsburgh uniform.
“Every day we walk into the gym, we see the banners on the wall, and we know what the expectation is, and we’ve been working and battling to put ourselves back in those situations. It’s a great byproduct of the effort and respect for our alumni and the guys who have gone before, that we come to battle, we come to work every single day to put ourselves in those situations again.”
Infante led all players with his third straight game over 20+ points with 21. He also nabbed seven rebounds. Tabb, Jeremiah Smith and Kareem Welch add 13, 12 and 10 points respectively.
While Plattsburgh never trailed, the lulls in the contest allowed Morrisville to stay in the game. Anytime the Cards went on a 4-5 point run, the Mustangs countered. It was a game reminiscent of the past two contests where the teams split the season series.
“Our guys were very focused,” Blaine said. “We had a great approach from Saturday onwards.
“We know that if we’re not at our best, we’re going to lose so we did a great job with our focus and our approach and our attention to detail over the last 48-72 hours, and really stayed locked in and stayed consistent top to bottom throughout.”
Now Plattsburgh State turns its attention to New Paltz, the top seed in the conference. Tip off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday. The Hawks swept the season series, winning by 24 in their last meeting at New Paltz.
Asking Tabb and Infante, both expressed confidence in the path ahead. They both want to go out on top, and are ready for the next challenge.
“We just have to clean up our play and be there for each other,” Infante said.. “We hit moments where we just get sloppy. We can’t have that.
“On defense, it can simply be stepping in and taking a few charges, while getting better shots on offense when things may not be going our way.”
—
Plattsburgh State 69, Morrisville 66
Morrisville (66)
Sanders 6-1-14. Merilus 0-3-3, McCollum 3-2-8, Grainger 4-0-8, Works 0-0-0, Haskins 3-4-10, Fils-Aime 2-5-9, Moorehead 1-3-5, Kennedy 1-0-3, Corl 0-0-0. TOTALS: 20-18-66
Plattsburgh State (69)
Infante 10-1-21, Tabb 3-7-13, Smith 3-6-12, Ezike 1-2-5, Graves 1-1-3, Welch 5-0-10, Vidrini 1-0-3, Pondexter 1-0-2, Kone-Bradshaw 0-0-0, McGuire 0-0-0. TOTALS: 25-17-69.
Halftime- Tied at 28
3 point goals- Morrisville (2) Sanders, Kennedy. PSU (2) Ezike, Vidrini