For the second straight post-season, The Raiders defeat the Mohawk Valley Hawks to move on in regional play. FMCC defeated The Hawks, 82-78 to move on to the semi-final round on Saturday at Herkimer College.
In the first half, FMCC had a strong defensive showing, taking a 22-10 lead mid-way through the first half. Mohawk Valley chipped away and went on a 16-2 run to close out the half trailing, 33-32.
Donovan Rodriguez came out with the hot hand to start the second half, drilling back-to-back three pointers for a 41-32 lead. Mohawk Valley would have an answer as they took their first lead of the contest, 51-50 with 11:22 to play.
The Hawks would continue a 9-0 run before Jordan Jackson converted from behind the arc. With five minutes to play, the Raiders were down by 7, but would not fold. Jackson hit two huge back-to-back threes to lead 75-74 with 1:30 to go. Nahjhime Kirton and Jackson hit some big free throws to seal the victory, 82-78.
Schumel Shepherd led with 19 points and 6 assists. Kennyh Hardeman finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds, including scoring his 1000th career point. Jordan Jackson tallied 16 and Nahjhime Kirton with 12.
FMCC will take on Clinton Community College on Saturday, March 2nd in the semi-finals. Game time is set for 3:00 p.m.
