FIGHTING TIGERS DEFEAT HVCC 67-64 IN REGION III MEN’S BASKETBALL QUARTERFINALS

The SUNY Cobleskill Fighting Tigers and the Hudson Valley Vikings men’s basketball teams are no strangers to each other in post season play. In their sixth regional play-off meeting since 1992 the Fighting Tigers out slugged the Vikings by a 67-64 margin in the 2005 NJCAA Division III Championship Quarterfinals hosted by Mohawk Valley Community College in Utica, NY. With the victory the Fighting Tigers improve their season record to 27-4 on the year and advance to the regional semi-finals against Cayuga Community College at 1:00 PM at Mohawk Valley on Saturday.

“Our two programs do seem to have a certain history between us when it comes to the tournament,” said Fighting Tiger Head Coach Kevin McCarthy. “We expected this to be a possession for possession contest with some very physical play and I think that’s just what happened. I think we showed great poise down the stretch and played the game the right way. Now we’ve got to prepare for Cayuga tomorrow in the semi-finals.”

Senior guard Jamael Lynch, Brooklyn, NY, Bishop Laughlin High School, led the way for the Fighting Tigers with a 19 point, six rebound, four assist and three steal outing. Senior forward Daniel Pierre, Brooklyn, NY, High School of Art & Design, posted a double/double with 13 points and 12 rebounds while freshman forward Abar Miller, Albany, NY, Redemption Christian Academy, added 11 points and three rebounds in the victory.

The Fighting Tigers also received a strong performance off the bench from freshman Max Menard, Brooklyn, NY, James Madison High School, with 12 points and a career high of six rebounds and from senior center Scotty Frater, Poughkeepsie, NY, Spackenkill High School, who scored eight points, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked three shots in the game.  

Cobleskill will next face the Spartans of Cayuga Community College at 1:00 PM on Saturday at Mohawk Valley in a rematch of the 2004 Region III Championship game won by the Spartans in overtime in Cobleskill, NY.

TIGER NOTES: The host team and tournament’s number one seed the Hawks of Mohawk Valley Community College were upset in the opening round by the number eight seeded Twins of Columbia-Greene Community College by a 65-63 margin. The Fighting Tigers and the Vikings split the team’s two regular season contests with Cobleskill winning in Troy, NY by an 83-60 margin with Hudson Valley winning in Cobleskill, NY by a score of 73-62.