TROY – Old rivals FM and Hudson Valley met on the hardwood on Saturday afternoon. The visitors won the hard-fought tilt in Troy 94-80. The game was closer than the 14-point margin might suggest.

The teams entered the game with nearly identical records. FM was 8-7 (3-4) and HVCC was 9-6 (3-4). The Vikings were hungry for a win, having just bowed to league-leading Mohawk Valley on Thursday.

Photo:  Tyrone Davis shoots and Jordan Stewart reacts

It often takes visiting teams a while to adjust to the spacious surroundings of Hudson Valley's arena, but the Raiders adapted rather quickly. Marquis Edwards scored the game's first basket, giving a hint of what was to come. The speedy sophomore went on to lead all scorers, with 21 points.

Kyle Giddings scored. Jordan Stewart nailed a three-pointer. Dondre Davis hit a three. Courtney Darnley sank his first three-pointer of the day. The FM Five had built a nine-point lead (19-10) after eight minutes of play. Darnley hit two more from beyond the arc, and FM led 27-18 midway through the first half.

FM, however, did not have an easy time of it – far from it. This game, like many basketball games, consisted of several chapters or skirmishes. The Raiders had won the first skirmish, but the Vikings raised their game in the final 10 minutes of the half: Hudson Valley was shrinking FM's lead. When the clock showed 4:11, the hosts trailed by just four, at 35-31. The first half ended with FM ahead by three, at 44-41.

Raheem Small took a pass from Tyrone Davis and scored the first goal of the second half. The Vikings sank two free throws. Dondre Davis scored with a nice drive into the paint, and FM led 48-43. Edwards scored. Dondre Davis scored again. Giddings scored again, and FM was ahead 54-46. Now the Raiders were keeping a firm grip on their lead.

The Vikings closed to 63-59, but Shaleek Randolph nailed a three from the center of the arc, giving FM a seven-point lead (66-59) and starting a chapter of the game that belonged to the Raiders. Tyrone Davis sank both shots of a one-and-one, Small sank two FT's, Edwards hit a three from the right side, and FM led 77-61 with 6:43 remaining.

Hudson Valley made a good effort, but all of the Raiders were getting the job done. Randolph tallied FM's final basket, and the Raiders won 94-80. As the clock ticked the final seconds, players on both teams were shaking hands.

The win upped FM's record to 9-7 overall and 4-4 in the Mountain Valley Conference. The Raiders are in fifth place in the 10-team conference. The MVC leaders are Herkimer and Mohawk Valley, with both squads sporting 7-1 conference marks.

FM's next outing will be a non-conference contest at Corning on Monday, January 19. The Raiders will return to conference play on Wednesday at Columbia-Greene CC.

Click here for a highlights video. This and other videos can also be accessed on the men's basketball Multimedia page.

                    C.J. Bonny, website writer

Scoring:

FMCC:  Stewart 1-0-3, Randolph 6-2-15, Darnley 4-0-11, Dukes 1-3-5, Giddings 3-0-6, D. Davis 3-0-7, Edwards 9-1-21, Small 6-2-14, T. Davis 5-2-12; Totals 38-10-94

Hudson Valley:  Newsome 3-8-14, Gorman 1-2-5, Deverson 2-1-5, Griggs 1-0-2, Baptiste 1-2-4, Archer 6-2-14, Megyeri 2-4-10, Testo 6-5-17, Melville 3-1-7, Mosley 1-0-2; Totals 26-25-80

Three-point goals: FMCC 8 (Darnley 3, Edwards 2, Stewart, Randolph, D. Davis), HVCC 3 (Megyeri 2, Gorman)

Halftime:  FM  44 – HVCC 41

Records:  FMCC 9-7 (4-4), HVCC 9-7 (3-5)

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