By Frank Rizzo
NEWBURGH — April 17, 2001 – 1997 Tri-Valley CS grad Gary Bradley ended his senior year of basketball on a strong note, getting tabbed Male Athlete of the Month in February at Mount Saint Mary College (MSMC) in Newburgh.
The 6-foot-5 senior center averaged 16.6 points during the Blue Knights’ five-game winning streak late in the month. The win skein allowed MSMC to reach the Skyline Conference semifinals, where it lost to Manhattanville 81-55.
Bradley shot 65.3 percent from the field during this stretch.
Bradley, of Neversink, scored 22 points in the regular season finale, an 88-86 win over King’s Point. The loss was the only in the conference this year for King’s Point.
The Blue Knights opened their defense of the Skyline Conference Tournament title by beating Stevens Tech 84-80.
MSMC finished the season 13–13 overall and 8–8 in the conference. A year ago the Blue Knights qualified for the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time in the school’s history.
“Gary’s play has really improved this year and his dunks have shown the ability to get the crowd and the team going in key situations,” MSMC basketball coach Duane Davis said in a press release.
For the year Bradley played in 24 games and shot 98/163 from the field (60.1 percent) from the field. he made 58/81 shots from the free throw line for a .716 clip and his 103 rebounds ranked him second on the team.
Bradley finished the year with 254 points, and his 10.6 ppg were second best on the team.