The Tompkins Cortland Community College men's basketball team pushed the top-ranked team in the region to the limit Wednesday night before coming up just short in a 64-60 loss to Onondaga Community College. The loss leaves the Panthers at 9-10 overall and 5-7 in the Mid-State Athletic Conference with two games left in the regular season. Onondaga, ranked #3 in the latest national poll, is 21-2 overall and 11-1 in the MSAC.
The game was tight early, with a loud home crowd providing plenty of energy. Things started to slip away late in the first half, with Onondaga slowly moving ahead to a double-digit lead. The deficit peaked at 16 points in the final minute of the half and stood 37-23 at the break.
A few minutes into the second half, the Panthers started to claw their way back into the game. A Cameron Thompson (Syracuse/Institute of Technology) 3-pointer cut the margin to ten points at 42-32 and started a 16-5 run that included 3-pointers from Michael Sinclair (Brooklyn/Academy for College Prep and Career Exploration), Justin Peeples (Willingboro, N.J./BCIT West), and two from Thompson. Devonte Cheatham (Bronx/Herbert H. Lehman H.S.) capped the run with a layup to make the score 47-45 with 10:44 left in game. The teams traded 5-0 runs over the next few minutes, with Peeples hitting a jumper with 8:30 left to bring it back to a two-point game, 52-50. Another 5-0 run by Onondaga made the score 57-50 with five minutes left, setting the stage for a final push by the Panthers.
Starting with Sinclair jumper and ending with bucket by Cheatham, the Panthers outscored the Lazers 8-2 to pull within one point at 59-58 with 1:30 left. A 3-pointed by Onondaga with just under a minute left made it 62-58, but the Panthers could capitalize on several chances, missing their next three shots while Onondaga added to the lead with a pair of free throws. A basket by Justin Sykes (Harlem/Lyons Community School) from just inside the 3-point line and then a forced turnover with three seconds left gave the home team a final flicker of hope, but the last shot didn't connect, letting Onondaga escape with the 64-60 win.
In the end the Panthers outshot the Lazers from the floor and outrebounded them, but couldn't overcome their 23 turnovers and a big disadvantage from the free throw line. While Onondaga made 15 of 21 free throw attempts, the home team made only six trips to the line, connecting on three.
Sinclair was the leading scorer with 15 points to go with 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals before fouling out. Sykes finished with 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. Peeples had a team-best 8 rebounds along with 7 points.
Looking ahead
The Panthers travel to Cayuga Community College on Saturday.