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Cabrini 109, Gwynedd Mercy 101
2015 CSAC Tournament Semifinal


BOX SCORE


RADNOR, PA. -- Gwynedd Mercy had their postseason come to an end as the Griffins fell in a wild 109-101 defeat at Cabrini in a semifinal game of the 2015 CSAC Men's Basketball Tournament Tuesday evening.

The fourth-seeded Griffins, who registered season highs in field goal attempts, were looking to unseat the defending champion and top-seeded Cavaliers.

Four players finished with double figures with three totaling 20-plus points. Senior Justin Knight (Mays Landing, N.J./Oakcrest) and junior Brian Hennessey (Philadelphia, Pa./Father Judge) had 22 points apiece respectively. Knight added 11 rebounds and six assists. The 22 points were a career high for Hennessey, who also drained a personal-best six three-pointers. Junior Darnell Artis (Philadelphia, Pa./LaSalle College H.S.) put in 21 points and six assists while senior Seth Heinicke (Warminster, Pa./Calvary Christian) and sophomore Cedric Elleby (Monroeville, N.J./Delsea) each chipped in 15.

Aaron Walton-Moss was the thorn in the Griffins' side once again, going for his fourth triple double of the season (18 points/13 rebounds/13 assists). Jair Green added 25 points while Ace Henry kicked in 23 off the bench.

The first half started out as a track meet, as both teams shot over 54%, trading blows back and forth. Knight would kickstart an early 9-0 run with a triple and cap it with a layup for a 13-4 lead and to force a Cabrini timeout. The Cavaliers would later counter with a run of their own, going on a 15-4 over a six-minute span. GM would stay at the heels of Cabrini, as Hennessey hit his second longball to knot it up at 45-45. Jair Green's jumper gave the Cavs a four-point edge (51-47) with under a minute. Gwynedd looked for a final shot before the half, but turned the ball over after a shot clock violation.

Gwynedd wouldn't get off to the hot start in the second as Cabrini put GM in a 65-51 hole four minutes into the stanza. The deficit remained at 14 (88-74) with 7:46 to go, but the Griffins would not go quietly. Heinicke's three-point play and later Hennessey's trifecta got the hole down to single-digits. The Griffins could only get within four (94-90) with just under three minutes in the game as Cabrini looked to have an answer for the GM rally.

Henry would hit his fifth three of the night with 57 ticks for an eight-point edge. Hennessey would counter with a trey of his own to put it at 106-101. Knight would then pick up his fifth foul, sending Walton-Moss to the line with 14 seconds left where he made both attempts to seemingly ice the contest.

For the game, the Griffins were 44% from the field (35-of-78), including a 10-for-30 spot from long range. GM would hold a 46-37 rebound edge, 19 of which were on the offensive side, leading to 27 second-chance points. Cabrini paced at a 52% (35-of-67) for the contest and an important 30-of-37 (81%) at the free-throw line.

The loss marks the end of the team's two seniors, Knight and Heinicke. Knight finishes with 1,185 points in 106 games as a Griffin, finishing as a career 47% shooter while amassing almost 500 rebounds (498) and 300 assists (298). Heinicke joined the men's program after two seasons at Cairn, appearing in 53 games, and provided an immediate impact in the frontcourt. He would go on to total 886 points and 371 rebounds in his college career.