CALIFORNIA (Feb. 27) – Sophomores
Keith Palek III (Woodbine, N.J./St. Augustine Prep) and
Cam Polak (West Homestead, Pa./Steel Valley) combined for 50 points on Monday night, as the California (PA) men's basketball team earned an 84-69 win over Seton Hill at the Convocation Center in the first round of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament.
With the victory, the Vulcans improve to 16-13 overall after winning all three meetings against the Griffins this season. Cal advances to face top-seeded IUP in the quarterfinals of the PSAC Tournament on Wednesday, March 1, at 7 p.m. Meanwhile, Seton Hill concludes the season with a 16-13 record to mark its first winning season since the 2013-14 campaign.
Palek scored a game-high 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting, including four-of-seven from beyond the arc. Additionally, he collected six rebounds, four assists, two blocks and one steal while playing all 40 minutes. Polak set a career high with 24 points on 8-of-16 from the floor behind 6-of-13 attempts from long range - also a career best. He tallied three rebounds, two assists and one steal in the win.
Redshirt freshman
Donald Whitehead, Jr. (Hermitage, Pa./Hickory) registered 15 points, three rebounds and three assists in 34 minutes off the bench. Redshirt junior
Jermaine Hall, Jr. (Baltimore, Md./Severn School) led the team with 13 rebounds (11 defensive) and added nine points, four assists, three steals and two blocks. Freshman
KJ McClurg (Morgantown, W.Va./University) posted eight points, six rebounds, one assist and one block on Monday.
The opening two and a half minutes featured six lead changes followed by Seton Hill executing a 6-2 run to stretch its lead to 14-8 at the 16:08-mark. Over the next three minutes, Cal held the Griffins scoreless and the Vulcans later tied the game at 17-17 on a pair of free-throws by Palek. The teams traded the next four baskets, as Cal claimed as 22-21 advantage with 10:39 to left in the half. Seton Hill countered with a 10-4 run which ended with a layup from Caleb Whitaker to give the Griffins a 31-26 edge. The Vulcans countered by scoring 11 of the next 13 points as a three-pointer from Palek extended the Cal lead to 37-33 with 2:20 to play. Cal and Seton Hill notched a pair of free-throws before halftime as the Vulcans led by a 39-35 margin at the break.
The Vulcans mounted momentum in the beginning of the second half as their initial three baskets were from long range and they held the Griffins to one basket to grasp their first double-digit lead at 48-37. A three-pointer by Jimmy Moon ignited a 14-5 rally by Seton Hill to trim the deficit to 53-51 with 12:39 remaining in the game. The Vulcans answered with a 13-6 run that lasted over three minutes to push their advantage to 66-57. Following a pair of three-pointers, Cal grabbed another double-figure edge with Palek lacing his fourth trey of the contest, 72-60. The Vulcans maintained their lead as they orchestrated a 10-7 run with 1:24 to play and held the Griffins scoreless for the remainder of the game.
Cal shot 43.3 percent (26-of-60) from the field while going 12-of-33 (36.4 percent) from beyond the arc. The Vulcans finished with a staggering 95.2 conversion rate (20-of-21) at the charity stripe. Meanwhile, Seton Hill recorded a .406 field-goal percentage (28-of-69) and were held to 29.2 percent (7-of-24) from three-point territory. The teams both finished with 39 rebounds, while the Vulcans collected 15 assists.
Samuel Tabe led Seton Hill with 21 points along with 15 rebounds and three assists. Green tallied 13 points, three steals, three rebounds and two assists. Whitaker posted nine points and grabbed five rebounds, while Sean Dillon scored eight points with three assists and two steals.
The Vulcans return to action on Wednesday, March 1, when they travel to face IUP in the quarterfinals of the PSAC Tournament at 7 p.m.
