NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. – In a matchup featuring two squads who have combined for the last seven Hudson Valley Men’s Athletic Conference basketball titles, top-seeded Berkeley College held off a second-half comeback bid from St. Joseph’s and captured the 2013 HVMAC Championship with a 71-67 victory on Sunday afternoon at The College of New Rochelle Wellness Center.
Berkeley (15-7) completes a perfect record in league play to capture their third straight title and sixth overall. Senior Jose Stable (Brooklyn, NY) was named Tournament MVP, recording a 19-point, 13-rebound double-double in the championship.
The Knights and Bears cruised through their semifinal round games to set up the seventh meeting between the two squads in the last eight years for the HVMAC title.
Berkeley shot 55 percent in the opening half and closed the half on a 15-5 run to take a 44-27 lead at halftime, Stable and Jovan Bovell (Jamaica, NY) leading three Knights in double-figures with 13 points.
But Ian Duff (Jamaica, NY) scored nine points during a 12-0 Bears run that shrank the separation to four, 49-45, with 12 minutes to play. St. Joseph’s eventually knotted the game at 54-all at the 8:33 mark and neither squad led by more than four for the remainder of the contest, St. Joseph's taking leads on two occasions.
With the game tied at 67-all and less than a minute to play, Bovell took a rebound and dribbled coast-to-coast for a layup that put the Knights up two with 37 seconds left. On the Bears’ next possession Bovell secured a rebound and was fouled, sinking both at the line for the final difference. Bovell finished with 19 points, sharing game-high honors with Stable.
St. Joseph’s finished with four players in double figures, led by sophomore David Louison (Brooklyn, NY) who tallied a game-high 20 points and freshman Michael Megafu (Brooklyn, NY) netted an 18-point, 13-rebound double-double.
In ceremonies concluding the championship, St. Joseph’s College head coach Joseph Cocozello was named 2012-13 Coach of the Year.
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2013 HVMAC Basketball Championships
Semifinals
Saturday, February 16, 2013
at The College of New Rochelle
#1 Berkeley def. #4 Vaughn, 74-44
#2 St. Joseph's def. #3 Albany Pharmacy, 73-34
Championship
Sunday, February 17, 2013
at The College of New Rochelle
#1 Berkeley def. #2 St. Joseph's, 71-67
Tournament & Regular Season Champions
Berkeley College
Tournament MVP
Jose Stable, Berkeley - Sr. - Forward/Center
2012-13 Coach of the Year
Joseph Cocozello, St. Joseph's
2012-13 All-Conference Team
| Jovan Bovell | Berkeley | Jr. | G | Jamaica, NY |
| Steven Brown | Albany Pharmacy | Jr. | C | Watervliet, NY |
| Jihad Ceaser * | Vaughn | Sr. | F | Hempstead, NY |
| Daniel Elliot | Culinary | Sr. | F | Ashburn, VA |
| Ari Grant | Pratt | Fr. | F | Denver, CO |
| David Louison * | St. Joseph’s | So. | F | Brooklyn, NY |
| Mahdi Macbahi | Vaughn | Sr. | C | Astoria, NY |
| Michael Megafu | St. Joseph’s | Fr. | G/F | Brooklyn, NY |
| Casey Redfern * | Albany Pharmacy | Jr. | F | Binghamton, NY |
| Jan Rogowski | St. Joseph’s | Sr. | F | Woodside, NY |
| Greg Smith | Sarah Lawrence | Jr. | G | Tampa, FL |
| Jose Stable * | Berkeley | Sr. | F/C | Brooklyn, NY |
| Kaseem Williams * | Berkeley | Sr. | G | Brooklyn, NY |
* Denotes 2011-12 All-HVMAC Team Selection
Past Champions
- 2012: Berkeley
- 2011: Berkeley
- 2010: St. Joseph's
- 2009: Berkeley
- 2008: St. Joseph's
- 2007: Berkeley
- 2006: Berkeley
- 2005: Bard