The Men's Basketball Team traveled to Mohawk Valley Community College on Tuesday night for the Region 3 Quarterfinal game. Heading into the contest FM was the 8th seed and Mohawk Valley was the #1 seed and ranked 3rd in the NJCAA Division 3 poll. The Raiders put in a complete team effort and stunned the Hawks. FM won the contest in upset fashion; 90-87.
FM came out of the gates strong in the first half and took a 42-28 lead heading into halftime. The Hawks battled back in the second half and cut the FM lead 54-53, with 12 minutes left in the contest. The Raiders were able to keep the Hawks at bay down the stretch and sank key foul shots to pull out the victory.
The Raiders had five players score in double figures. Chris Toussaint led with 18 points, Brandon Cooper and Tyvon Stenson each had 17. Jaleel Jean Jacques finished with 16 and Dante Morgan had 11 points.
"It was a great team win. We made some adjustments from the first two times we played Mohawk and the guys executed the game plan. Their effort and intensity and great defense built the lead in the first half. Their resiliency and determination held off a great Mohawk team in the second half. Many players contributed to help us pull off the upset. Now, we have to build on our momentum and stay hungry for success and not be satisfied as we move into the semifinals vs Cayuga, said Coach Collar. Cayuga is a very athletic and aggressive team. We need to come out with the same determination on Saturday vs Cayuga, if we hope to make the finals on Sunday."
FM will travel to Herkimer on Saturday to face #4 Cayuga in the Region 3 semi-final at 4:00 p.m. The other semi-final contest will be between #3 Onondaga and #2 Herkimer. The Championship contest will be played on Sunday.
