After taking down Cincinnati-Clermont in the USCAA DII Small College National Championship game, Penn State Wilkes-Barre men's basketball team was welcomed home—this time with a celebration honoring their third national championship title in the past five years.
It was an exciting game; the teams were evenly matched with each ready to take home the trophy.
They first played Southern Maine Community College on Sunday, Mar. 10, moving on to NHTI the next day. From there, Wilkes-Barre beat Penn State York, who was the winner of the PSUAC men's basketball championship for the 23-24 season. Cincinnati-Clermont was the final stop to their third championship win, securing the crown for the Mountain Lions for another year.
Commencing at 5:30 p.m., Wilkes-Barre started off scoring with a layup from #15 senior Wilvens Fleurizard (Tamarac, Florida/PSU Schuylkill), who made the first points of the game. Scoring was slow to come for the Mountain Lions in the first half, but the team slowly made their way back up, rattling their opponent.
Passing made for effective shots, giving Wilkes-Barre the opportunity to lay multiple baskets by getting by Cincinnati-Clermont. The last six points of the first half were completed through free throws by Jalen Willis and #20 sophomore Anton Berga (Queens, New York/Martin Luther High School). The score at the end of the half was 42-34 UC Clermont.
The second half of the game started with #13 junior Jedidiah Ashton (Brooklyn, New York/Monroe College), whose good offense on the ball gave him the opportunity to put up a layup. There were multiple times within the game that the teams were tied, showing that neither college would go down without a fight.
After Anton Berga made both his free throws, Wilkes-Barre was one point behind with a score of 69-68. The Mountain Lions soon made themselves one point ahead from Jedidiah Ashton's AND1 and shot at the free throw line but were quickly tied again at 71-71.
The last of the points in the game were made from Rashod Ballard's three-pointer and multiple free throw shots. The final score of the game was 83-79 Wilkes-Barre. Top points scorers of the game were Jalen Willis with 20, Anton Berga with 18, and Teequan Holley with 17.
The Mountain Lions defended their title, earning their third championship win in five years, starting in 2019 with their win against Johnson & Wales. The previous year Wilkes-Barre defeated Miami-Hamilton in a 55-50 victory, securing their second championship win.
Head coach LeShawn Hammett led the team through the 2023-2024 season, pushing them to their fullest potential. Although the team did not make it past the first round of the PSUAC playoffs, they quickly earned their spot in the national championship. The Mountain Lions traveled to Petersburg, Virginia, where they would play all four of their games.
#12 senior Jalen Willis (Baltimore, Maryland/Genesse C.C.) who was cheered on by his teammates for the second speech of the event, looked back on the moment, stating, "Thank you guys for all the help that you did with us. I know that this was a very stressful year, we made you guys very worried," to which the crowd responded by laughing.
"I know the last couple games we were stressing, but we appreciate all that you have done for us, being there for the ups and downs," Willis concluded, addressing the students, faculty, and community before him.
The combination of not only working as a team, but playing like a family, determined a lot of the season for the Mountain Lions. They won and lost as a team and showed their tenacity throughout the season to get to another victory in the national championship.
Jedidiah Ashton, who was the first to speak at the ceremony, said, "To me, I feel like it all paid off, and to come together and win the championship is really special". Ashton had the opportunity to be a part of the team in the 2023 win against Miami-Hamilton, now having two rings with one more season left with the Mountain Lions.
Coach Hammett, who did the final speech, expressed his thanks to everyone that helped the Penn State Wilkes-Barre basketball team thrive, including Athletic Director Scott Miner and Leslie Livingstone, who helped Hammett build the program as the general manager.
"We're sorry we put you all through the ups and downs, but it made us who we were at the end. Sometimes you have to go through some things to figure out who you are, and that was what we had to do as a team," Hammett said, giving his thanks to everyone that gave support along the way.
Congratulations to the Penn State Wilkes-Barre men's basketball team on their third national championship win.
Written by Kyler Burke
Photo Credits: USCAA livestream