SUNY COBLESKILL MEN UPSET # 1 RANKED HUDSON VALLEY 86-79 IN REGION III SEMIFINALS

Perhaps taking a page from the New York Football Giants playbook, the SUNY Cobleskill men’s basketball team did the unthinkable on Saturday afternoon at the 2008 NJCAA Region III Division III Championship Tournament upsetting the previously unbeaten and nationally ranked number one Vikings of Hudson Valley Community College by an 86-79 margin in the tournament’s semifinal game. The victory improves the Fighting Tigers overall record to 24-6 on the season while the Vikings drop to 30-1 on the year.

“I’m very proud of the way we played the last four minutes of the game. We played hard, we played smart and we played together,” said a jubilant Fighting Tiger Head Coach Kevin McCarthy. “But the reality is; as much as you like beating the number one team in the country, the goal is still to win the regional championship and move on to the national tournament. We now must focus on beating Herkimer on their home court to accomplish this which will not be easy. ”

After trailing 44-35 at the half the Fighting Tigers clawed their way back from as many as 12 points down in the second half taking their first lead of the game with 1:23 remaining in regulation at 78-76 on a pair of free throws by senior guard Darryl Burns Jr., Brooklyn, NY, High School of Art & Design. After a subsequent Hudson Valley miss, Fighting Tiger senior point guard Harley Fuller, Gloversville, NY, Broadalbin-Perth High School, found himself alone under the basket for a lay-up to extend the lead to 80-76 with 56.4 seconds remaining. The Vikings threw the ensuing inbounds pass away versus Cobleskill’s full court pressure after which Cobleskill senior power forward Anthony Armstead, Schenectady, NY, Schenectady High School, converted on two free throws to give the Orange & Black an 82-76 lead with 49.7 seconds left to play. From there a combination of Fighting Tiger defense and made free throws put the game away for good and the tournament’s number four seed claimed their victory over the one seed.

Freshman guard Michael Knight, Spring Valley, NY, Spring Valley High School, drove the Cobleskill attack with a career high of 22 points, eight rebounds and two steals in the contest. Anthony Armstead continued his strong tournament with 18 points and seven rebounds while Darryl Burns Jr. added 17 points to go with two assists. Freshman guard Nyquan Bellamy, Poughkeepsie, NY, Poughkeepsie High School, also reached double figures in scoring with 11 points.

Harley Fuller turned in a fine all-around effort for the Fighting Tigers with five points, six rebounds, and six assists as did senior forward Stanley Francois, Valley Cottage, NY, Suffern High School, who scored five points and grabbed eight rebounds.

The Fighting Tigers will play for the regional championship versus the tournament hosts the number two seeded Generals of Herkimer Community College on Sunday March 2nd at 1:00 PM.