Drew’s men’s basketball team saw their hopes for a Landmark Championship title crumble with a 68-66 loss to Susquehanna in the Landmark Conference Semifinal last week. The Rangers battled the River Hawks in a matchup of the second and third-seeded teams.
Drew entered the contest with momentum on their side, having earned three hard-fought conference wins the week prior, a highlight of which was a decisive 94-82 victory over Susquehanna just five days prior to their semifinal matchup.
The Rangers started strong, jumping to a 14-8 lead in the opening minutes of the first half. The home-court advantage fueled the Rangers, as the passionate fans in the Baldwin Gym boosted the energy of the gym.
The River Hawks overcame a string of sloppy play between turnovers and missed open shots with a late push to enter halftime tied 24-24.
The early stages of the second half were dominated by Susquehanna, as Marcus Mitchell (‘25) and Brandon Lavitt (‘26)—the River Hawks’ two leading scorers this season—paced the River Hawks’ methodical offense to an 8-point lead with just eight minutes remaining. However, strong defense and timely shooting helped the Rangers forge a comeback to tie the game at 66 with just 18 seconds remaining.
Despite loud jeers from Drew fans and a well defended possession, the River Hawks leaned on their two trusted scorers down the stretch, as Mitchell assisted Lavitt on a layup over Rangers center Peso Crump (‘25) to give the River Hawks a 68-66 edge with just 1.7 seconds remaining.
After failing to get a shot off before the final buzzer, the Rangers were eliminated from the Landmark Conference Playoffs, while Susquehanna moved on to the finals for a matchup against the Catholic Cardinals.
Though the Rangers’ season did not end with a new championship banner to hang in Baldwin Gym, the team made significant progress in their second season under Coach Michael McSloy. The team averaged 87 points per game this year, a notable increase from their 75 points per game average last year, while also outsourcing their opponents. The team also solidified its offensive identity as a 3-point shooting juggernaut, draining 319 shots from beyond the arc, in comparison to 249 during the 2022-2023 campaign.
The Rangers’ commitment to this style of offense also proved to be their downfall in their season’s ultimate game. The Rangers shot a shocking 30 3-point attempts against Susquehanna, but only converted on five, yielding a percentage of just 16.7 percent. The River Hawks also made five 3-pointers, but did so on just 13 attempts, allowing for a much more balanced, efficient offensive attack.
As the Rangers look to next season, they have plenty of reasons to maintain optimism that they can compound on the success of this year’s team. The semifinal game’s leading scorer, Josh Kline (‘25), is set to return next year, alongside fellow starters Pat Higgins (‘25), Papie Roberts (‘25) and Crump, all of whom averaged over 8 points per game this season.
Devan Sutaria is a sophomore majoring in biochemistry and minoring in business.
