JOHNSTOWN – The Raiders hosted the Hudson Valley Vikings on Saturday afternoon. The FM squad was playing their third game in six days and was seeking their second win of the week but fell just two points short.

The fans were treated to a lot of up-tempo basketball. The early going was back-and-forth. Tyrone Davis scored. Kenny Barr drove from the right and scored. Barr, Khaleeq Baum, and Davis added free throws. Barr added a two, and FM led 11-10.

Photo:  Dondre Simmons makes the score 15-15

The Raiders' offense cooled a bit, but a deft pass from Kadeem Stanislas to Simmons narrowed the gap, and a Simmons drive to the hoop got FM within one, at 22-21.

The Viking Five played aggressive defense and allowed the Raiders few easy shots. Still, a Stanislas field goal put FM ahead 32-31, but the visitors added five more, and the first half ended 36-32 in the Vikings' favor.

Photo:  Khaleeq Baum powers up as Marquis Edwards looks for any rebound

Tyrone Davis began the second half with a sweet steal and a 70' sprint for two, but the Vikings answered with steals of their own. Soon they led 47-37.

The Raiders kept trying to close the gap, but the Vikings were doing a good job of keeping the FM attack in check.

Stanislas sank two FTs with 3:10 left, cutting the Hudson Valley lead to 65-57. Stanislas then hit a long jumper, and the Raiders were charging. Simmons and Barr scored from the line, and the score was 66-61 Hudson Valley.

Stanislas drove for two. 68-63 Vikings. Edwards inbounded the ball from underneath the FM basket with 45.2 seconds left. Stanislas took Edwards' pass and scored. 68-65. Barr then stole the ball and scored. FM trailed by 68-67 with 22 seconds to play.

 

Photo, right:  Kenny Barr shoots

The Raiders mounted another attack but were unsuccessful. The Vikings scored. 71-67. Simmons added two more points to the FM total, but Hudson Valley won by two: 71-69.

The win evened Hudson Valley's record at 7-7. The Raiders are now 4-10.

The Corning CC Red Barons (8-8) will come to the Raiders Den for a contest on Monday night. The Corning and FM women's teams will play at 5:00 p.m., and the men's game will start around 7:00.

                     C.J. Bonny, website writer           

Scoring:

FM:  Barr 11, Mercedes 2, Simmons 19, Rivera 2, Stanislas 16, T. Davis 9, Baum 8, Giddings 2; Total 69

HVCC:  Gleason 13, Ohanian 1, Reyes 6, Feaster 10, Kaurejo 4, Newsome 13, Monson 10, Melville 2, Pitcher 3, Gorman 3, Suski 6; Total 71

Halftime:  36-32 Hudson Valley