The Bucks basketball team hoped their home finale against Thaddueus Stevens Tech Bulldogs would be a statement game, proving their legitimacy as a playoff contender. But by 9 p.m. Wednesday night, the Centurions were left with questions as to whether they would even be playing after the weekend.

Stevens was led by a balanced and fast attack. That coupled with untimely mistakes by Bucks, gave them an early lead. Stevens pulled away late in the game for a convincing 78-50 win over Drew Kelly’s Centurions.

The win all but ensured Stevens one of the four available playoff spots. Bucks, who fell to 6-12 overall and 5-8 in conference, will now have to upset Manor College this weekend [score not available at press time] to even have a shot.

“It’s been a season where it’s been real tough to get momentum going,” Kelly said following the game.

The Centurions played most of the game without their star forward Reggie Jackson. The sophomore picked up an early technical foul for arguing with a referee about a non-call.

Soon after, Jackson scored his only basket of the night on a fast break which cut the Stevens lead to just four points. But on the next possession, Jackson got a steal and took an elbow from a Bulldog player while running down the court.

The officials missed the incident, sparking another angry protest from Jackson. This time, Reggie was given two technicals and ejected from the contest just 12 minutes in.

Kelly declined to comment about the officiating in the game, citing it was not a reason for the loss. Kelly was called for a technical in the second half after arguing about a loose ball scuffle underneath the Stevens’ basket.

“Stevens is always one of the top teams in the league,” Kelly said. “It came down to [them having] more firepower than us.”

What was a bad night for Bucks could not undermine the play of sophomore forward James Sullivan. A Business Administration major, Sullivan put together a solid 18 point performance. The effort was a team high for the evening, and included 16 points (including two 3-pointers) in the first half alone.

“Jim’s been a big player for us for two years,” said Kelly. The great thing about Jim is that he’s a dependable player.”

Bucks simply could not contain the explosive scoring of the quicker Bulldog team. Led by a three-headed scoring monster in Tyree Boyd, Michael Shelton, and Sam Green, Stevens jumped out to an early first half lead with fast breaks and easy baskets.

Boyd, a second-year guard, led all scorers with 23 points, including two late baskets to help Stevens run away with the score.

After seeing a big lead cut to 36-30 by halftime, the Bulldogs went on a 17-6 run in the first 10 minutes of the second half. Bucks had no answer, missing shots in the lane and yielding long outlet passes for points at the other end.

“We played hard. It just got out of hand,” 6-foot-5 Elementary Education major, Francis Hamilton said.

Hamilton played well under the boards for Bucks, using his size to pull down a number of rebounds for Bucks. The sophomore forward was one of three Bucks players to finish with eight points, tied for second most on the team.

Also finishing with eight points were freshman guards Mark Durante and Trevor Johnson. Handling the point for much of the game, the 5-foot-11 Johnson hit a couple of shots outside the arc of his own, but could never get quite enough going to help his team climb back in the game.

Durante played down the stretch and had six points in the closing minutes, but his efforts were far too little, too late. With four points, freshman Mike Fiorelli had the only other Centurion baskets on the night.

“I was disappointed that I had guys like Fiorelli, Sullivan, and Hamilton (for two years). I wanted them to go out with a win and on a high note,” Kelly said. “Unfortunately, that didn’t happen tonight. But that’s sports.”

The final dagger in the hearts of the Centurions’ night and possibly their season came from Stevens’ forward Wilbur Arnold. Up by 18 points, Arnold beat a dwindling shot clock and buried a long prayer from 3-point range (his only such attempt of the game) which put Stevens up 21.

Arnold finished with 11 points, while the elusive Green and aggressive Shelton pitched in 16 and 14 points respectively. Guards Everett Heiden (1 point), Lorenzo Brown (4 points), and Douglas Layer (4 points) had the other scores for the Bulldogs.

Bucks must now hang their playoff hopes on Saturday’s away game at Manor Community College. Originally, Bucks was hoping to earn a number three seed in next week’s Eastern Pennsylvania Community College tournament to avoid playing top-seeded Manor in the playoffs. Now, Kelly says they must win this weekend and have Delaware County College lose to Philadelphia C.C. to back into to the postseason.

“Obviously, we have to win,” Kelly said. Last week, Bucks showed flashes of brilliance when pushing PCC to overtime, only to fall in the extra session.

Kelly feels his team has played outstanding basketball all season despite being hampered by injuries. Currently, the squad is down to an eight-man roster but has continued to show heart in game after game.

Their marquee wins included a season sweep of Reading County College, 73-72 and 78-68, and a 97-86 November victory over Delaware CC.

“Its easy for people in stands and parents to point the finger, but it’s not true,” Kelly said. “The guys practice everyday, they get put on the spot, and they play hard.”