FREDERICK, Md. - The No. 17 Hood College Men's Basketball team as the No.1 seed in the Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth Tournament will host the No. 3 York College of Pennsylvania Spartans Saturday, February 28 in the Championship Game with tip-off set for 3 p.m. in Woodsboro Bank Arena.
Hood clinched the No. 1 seed in the conference with a win against Messiah University Tuesday, February 17, and capped off its historic season with a 108-102 win at Eastern to finish the regular season with a program-best 23-3 overall record, finishing 13-1 in conference for another program best.
Led by juniors Jevon Yarbough,
Jude Huseby (Frederick, Md./Urbana), and
Kullen Robinson (Alexandria, Va./Alexandria City), the Blazers have made a name for themselves with their "Let It Fly" philosophy. This season alone, they have scored 100+ points in 12 contests this season, the most in program history, and currently have the fourth best offense in the country according to the NCAA by averaging 95 points per game. Hood currently leads the Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth in a plethora of statistics, including points-per-game, field goal percentage, three-point percentage, and free throw percentage.
At the helm for the Blazers is
Chad Dickman in his 11th season with the team. This season marks the seventh in a row they have qualified for the MAC Commonwealth Championships under his leadership (excluding the cancelled 2020 COVID-19 season). The 2024 Coach of the Year helped guide the team to its highest national ranking this year at No. 15, with impressive wins against ranked opponents like Catholic University and York College of Pennsylvania, and looks to continue this impressive run into the postseason and beyond.
On the other side of the court will be the aforementioned Spartans of York (PA) who defeated No. 2-seeded Albright College 94-83 in double overtime in their semifinal matchup. The Spartans finished their regular season 19-5 (9-5) before picking up their 20th win Wednesday night. Led by seniors Jayden Rowe and Tate Landis, with the former leading the MAC Commonwealth in PPG, York looks to defend their title after winning the conference championship last season.
First-year head coach Jared Wagner has seemingly not missed a beat in what could have been a transition period, leading the Spartans to their second straight postseason and MACC Championship game berth after being a member of the team from 2016-2020.
This will be the second straight year these two teams have faced each other in the conference playoffs, with York defeating Hood 86-69 in the first round last year en route to their conference championship. This season, the Blazers got the better of the Spartans in both regular season matchups, with the second game at home a tightly contested 69-61 affair.
Tickets (Card and Cash Accepted at the Door):
i. Adults - $10
ii. Senior Citizens (65+) - $5
iii. Youth (7-17) - $5
iv. MAC Students (valid ID) and Children 0-6 - FREE
Tournament Format
Commonwealth Semifinals:
Semifinal 1 (Feb. 25 at 7:00 PM): No. 4 Alvernia (93) at
No. 1 Hood (109) F
Semifinal 2 (Feb. 25 at 7:00 PM ):
No. 3 York (94) at No. 2 Albright (83) F (2OT)
Finals:
Feb. 28 at 3:00 PM: No. 3 York at No. 1 Hood
