UTICA – It was a showdown game. The Mohawk Valley CC Lady Hawks had 12 wins and only one loss to Division III teams. The Lady Raiders had won nine times with only one loss to D-III teams. MVCC was ranked third in the nation among D-III teams. The FM players wanted to make their mark and they did just that, winning 76-73 on the Hawks' home court on Saturday afternoon.
The win propelled FM into sole possession of first place in the Mountain Valley Conference. Head Coach Kevin Jones' squad is the only undefeated team in the MVC.
Photo: Monae Abrams driving for two of her 30 points
It was a great team win for the Lady Raiders, but one Raider stood out. Monae Abrams had a huge double-double game, scoring 30 points and hauling in 10 rebounds. Abrams has been a force all season, and at MVCC she was FM's go-to player.
It was a foggy day throughout the Mohawk River Valley, but there was nothing foggy about the MV offense. The Lady Hawks' attack was fast and furious at the start. They tallied two field goals and hit for six points from beyond the arc to take a quick 10-2 lead. Fittingly, those two FM points were scored by Abrams.
The Lady Raiders worked their way back into the game. Sherice Gayle sank two free throws. Abrams took a pass from Stephanie Rice and scored. Abrams scored again, this time from three-point range, and cut the Hawks' lead to 14-11.
It looked as if FM might tie the game, but MV was shooting very well. They increased their lead despite good defensive play by Raiders such as Kendra Jordan.
Late in the first half, Gayle fed Rice, who spun nicely and scored. 36-30 MV. When the teams went into the break, MV led 38-30.
Photo: Stephanie Rice spins, scores
Rice opened the second stanza with a steal and a score. Jordan passed to Abrams for a tally. Jordan scored from the floor, and MV's lead was reduced to four.
Jordan hit from beyond the arc. Rice scored. Veronica Chea sank a three, and FM trailed by only two, at 46-44.
Gayle nearly tied the game with her FG-FT three-point play. Gayle scored from the floor again and gave FM their first lead of the day: 49-48. That was the turning point. Chea scored again. Rice hit for three. Jessica Woney fed Abrams for a tally. Abrams put back a rebound for two, and then she hit from long range. Fm led 65-55. The Lady Raiders built on that lead and went on to gain a hard-fought 76-73 win.
FM's win put them at the top of the Mountain Valley Conference standings:
Fulton-Montgomery 5-0
Mohawk Valley 3-1
Schenectady 3-1
Herkimer 2-2
Hudson Valley 2-2
North Country 1-2
Delhi 0-3
Adirondack 0-5
Photo: Sherice Gayle drives to the hoop
North Country and Hudson Valley went into overtime on Saturday before HVCC defeated the Saints in Saranac Lake 79-74. The Lady Raiders will play both of those teams in the coming week. North Country will visit FM on Tuesday, January 14, and Hudson Valley will play on the FM hardwood on Saturday. The Tuesday tipoff is set for 5:00 p.m., and the Saturday contest will start at 1:00 p.m.
C.J. Bonny, website writer
Click here for video highlights.
Fulton-Montgomery: Jordan 12, Chea 7, Rice 12, Abrams 30, Erica Redwood 5, Gayle 10: Total 76
Mohawk Valley: Fauvelle 11, Bellamy 2, Harewood 2, Val Olst 2, L. Smith 2, Way 7, Valentine 1, Hafeez 5, Berry 24, Kralik 7; Total 73
Photo: Mo scoring two more – also pictured: 1 Kendra Jordan and 42 Sherice Gayle
