CORNING – The FM Raiders had been ranked among the top five teams in Region 3 for most of the season, but after losing a few close games to some of the better teams in the region, they fell out of the top five in the January 13 weekly poll. The Corning Red Barons had won eight games in a row and taken the Raiders' former place in the top five. A win at Corning on Monday would boost FM's stature in the 17-team region. The Raiders won the battle 83-82.
The FM Five were ready to play, and they led almost all the way in Saturday's close game. Raheem Small's reverse layup put FM up 4-2, and Head Coach Ed Collar's squad maintained a slim lead until the final five minutes.
Photo: Shaleek Randolph drives to the hoop
Marquis Edwards scored a field goal. Jordan Stewart hit a three-pointer. Raheem Small drained a three. Barceem Dukes took a pass from Edwards, spun, and scored. FM led 16-12.
The Raider defense was rebounding very well and counterattacking very quickly.
Dukes scored from in close. Then he was fouled and sank both FT's. Then he fed Dondre Davis, who scored. FM's lead was 24-17.
Courtney Darnley scored from three-point range. Jonathan Brioso put in a rebound, giving FM a 10-point lead, at 31-21. Corning closed the gap to six points, but Tyrone Davis made a beautiful drive through traffic and put FM up 35-27.
Corning's Issachar Small sank a three-pointer – one of four he would score in the game – but FM's Stewart came right back and answered with a trey of his own.
Photo: Marquis Edwards scoring two of his 10 points
Kyle Giddings drove, spun, and scored. Edwards tallied from the left side. FM owned a 42-39 lead as the teams went into the break.
The Red Barons cut the lead to one point to open the second half, but Giddings answered with a bucket. Stewart shot from NBA range and drained it. 47-41 FM.
Stewart soon hit two more threes, but the Barons kept pace. When Corning's Small hit another three-pointer and his teammate Tyler Ladd also hit from outside the arc, FM's lead was 58-55. Corning kept attacking and FM kept ahead of them. With the score 64-62, Dondre Davis sank a big three from the right side. As the second half reached its midpoint, it was FM 67-Corning 64.
Corning closed to 73-71, and then Red Baron Ladd scored another trey, giving the home team their first lead since the game's earliest minutes. The Red Barons were ahead 74-73 with 4:38 to go.
FM's Randolph hit a three, but Corning knotted it at 76-76. Dukes took a pass from FM's Small and regained the lead at 78-76. Stewart and Tyrone Davis sank free throws. 80-76. Corning's Small sank yet another three. It was 80-79 with 29.0 seconds left on the clock.
Edwards sank two free throws and Giddings sank one. FM led 83-79, but then Baron Small nailed his fourth trey of the day with 0.4 seconds on the clock. 83-82. FM sent a long inbounds pass to the right side, and that killed the clock. FM had held off the Barons' late charge to win the very close contest 83-82.
FM's non-conference victory stopped Corning's win streak at eight games.
The 10-7 Raiders will return to conference play on Wednesday, January 21 at Columbia-Greene CC. Game time is 6:00 p.m.
C.J. Bonny, website writer
Scoring:
FMCC: Stewart 5-1-16, Randolph 2-0-5, Darnley 1-0-3, Dukes 6-2-14, Giddings 5-1-11, D. Davis 2-0-5, Edwards 4-2-10, Small 2-0-5, Brioso 2-0-4, T. Davis 3-4-10; Totals 32-10-83
Three-point goals: 9 (Stewart 5, Randolph, Darnley, D. Davis, Small)
Corning: Lero 2-0-4, Small 9-1-23, Ladd 7-0-18, Jose 2-0-4, Coleman 2-0-5, Pettiford 0-1-1, Brennan 3-4-10, Chambers 6-2-15, Bennett 1-0-2; Totals 32-8-82
Three-point goals: 10 (Small 4, Ladd 4, Coleman, Chambers)
Halftime: FM 42 – Corning 39
Records: FM 10-7, Corning 13-6
Photo: Dondre Davis scores after taking a pass from Barceem Dukes (right)
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