With the help of junior guard Ken Allen, Colby's leading scorer, the men's basketball team won nine of its last 13 games to finish the season with a 15-9 record and the third seed in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) New England Tournament. "We were a very competitive team and were close to being among the elite, but lost a couple of tough games," said head coach Dick Whitmore.     Colby played host to sixth-seeded Salem State in the tournament quarterfinals. The Mules held the Vikings to just 48 points and advanced to the semifinals with a 61-48 victory. Two senior co-captains paced the team--James Spidle led all scorers with 17 points, while Bill Hinton led the defense with nine rebounds and two blocked shots.     In their semifinal game against Williams, the Mules came out on fire, shooting nearly 70 percent over the first 10 minutes and giving Colby a quick five-point lead. Williams never allowed them to extend the advantage, though. The Mules pulled within four points with three minutes remaining, but the Ephs held on to win 78-66. Whitmore said he was "very proud of the way the team worked at Williams. We were competitive until the end of the game."