SARANAC LAKE – The Lady Raiders defeated the scrappy Lady Saints of North Country CC 79-65 on Wednesday evening. The win assured the FM Five of sole possession of the Mountain Valley Conference crown.
The squad is enjoying a sterling season. Their overall record is 18-3 in all competition – 18-2 against Division III teams. Their conference mark is 12-1. Schenectady, Hudson Valley, and Mohawk Valley are fighting for second place in the eight-team conference, but now none of them can catch FM.
North Country is a good team. Their season record is 11-10. A month ago they pushed the Lady Raiders to the limit before bowing 59-58 in the Raiders Den. On Wednesday, the Saints were ready to battle the Raiders, and they did just that. The North Country squad led 55-54 with eight minutes left in the game, but Head Coach Kevin Jones' team has produced a strong end game in most contests this season. Their end game was up to the task at North Country, and the Lady Raiders won going away.
Fittingly, the game's first points were scored by Monae Abrams. Abrams, the team's go-to forward, grabbed an offensive rebound and scored. North Country answered with a three-pointer, but Kassandra Flowers then fed Abrams, and "Mo" scored her second basket of the game. The win was a team effort, and 10 different Raiders added to the FM ledger, but Abrams stepped up as usual and led both teams in scoring with 26 points for the evening.
The two teams hustled throughout the game. Stephanie Rice took a pass from Kendra Jordan and put FM ahead 6-5. Then Rice fed Jordan with an inbounds pass. Jordan scored and was fouled. She completed the three-point play, and FM led 9-5.
Photo: Monae Abrams is fouled in first-half action - she scored six points from the line and 20 from the floor
The Saints fought back and took the lead at 14-12. FM suffered one of their cold spells, and the Saints moved ahead 18-13. FM came back a bit when Jessica Woney took a Flowers' pass and got FM to within three at 18-15. Soon after that, Veronica Chea hit a long two from the right side, keeping FM close at 21-17.
A three-point play by Abrams and a sweet drive by Flowers got FM within one, 23-22. Then two free throws by Sherice Gayle knotted the score at 24-24. Rice made a great drive for two and then fed Abrams for two more. Abrams spun and sank a field goal. Erica Redwood put in a rebound. Abrams tallied two from the foul line, and FM had a 36-30 lead at halftime.
Gayle opened the second-half scoring with two FTs. Flowers nailed a three from the left corner. Gayle sank two more from the line, and FM led 43-36. But then the FM offense had a bit of a wobble, and the Saints were quick to take advantage of it.
North Country tied the game at 51-51 with 10 minutes left, and they led 55-54 with 7:54 showing on the clock. Then the Lady Raiders got their end game in gear. Evanda Redwood hit two from the foul line, and FM led 56-55. Redwood went on to have a perfect eight-for-eight showing at the charity stripe – a major contribution to the winning effort.
Flowers hit for three from the right side, then took an Abrams pass and tallied a two. North Country had been double teaming Abrams, but the determined forward had kept scoring. When Flowers sank a pair of free throws with 4:39 to play, FM had a 10-point lead, at 69-59. The Lady Raiders were in charge. Their final points of the game came when Taylor Wetsky took a pass from Flowers and banked in a layup. The final score was 79-65.
Photo: Stephanie Rice drives through traffic for two
The Lady Raiders have one more conference game remaining. They will play at Hudson Valley at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 19. They will finish the regular season with a non-conference contest at Division-II Monroe College, in New Rochelle, on Sunday the 23rd. That game will be a final tune-up for the Region III tournament, which will be held at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, February 28-March 2.
Meanwhile, the Lady Raiders can enjoy their conference crown. Further, the weekly NJCAA poll was announced on Wednesday, with FM ranked #10 among all D-III teams in the nation. It is FM's first appearance among the top 10 this season.
C.J. Bonny, website writer
Photo: Evanda Redwood shooting - she was a perfect eight-for-eight from the foul line
Scoring:
FM: Jordan 3, Chea 4, Flowers 14, Rice 5, Ev. Redwood 8, Woney 2, Abrams 26, Wetsky 2, Er. Redwood 7, Gayle 8; Total 79
North Country: Uras 4, R. Smith 4, Kimbrough 13, Pennington 11, Boyea 7, Bridges 2, S. Smith 21, E. LaPage 3; Total 65
Halftime: 36-30 FM
Mountain Valley Conference Standings
Fulton-Montgomery 12-1
Schenectady 8-3
Hudson Valley 7-4
Mohawk Valley 7-5
Herkimer 5-7
North Country 4-7
Adirondack 4-9
Delhi 0-11
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