Mohawk Valley Men's Basketball competed against Fulton Montgomery Community College on Saturday afternoon, in the first annual Michael Philo Memorial Classic.
This high octane matchup was fueled by Fulton Montgomery early in the game, as they were able to score frequently in transition and did a great job rebounding, holding the Hawks to one shot per possession. For the Hawks, Ike Sheppard was impressive in the first half scoring 12 points on 5-7 shooting, and despite foul trouble was able to contribute heavily in keeping the game close. Freshman Point Guard Jamir Smith, and Sophomore Jordan Drain also did their part scoring to keep the Hawks within reach despite a first half that was controlled by the Raiders.
20 first half point by Kennyah Hardeman (FMCC) was a major difference in the first half, as he led his team to a 9 point lead and the Raiders carried the momentum into their locker room.
After a competitive first 6 minutes of the second half, the Hawks utilized their depth and brought in Sophomore's Hayden Day, Ozzy Dejesus and Freshman Josh Rodriguez which sparked a 12-2 run that put the Hawks within striking distance with just under 5 minutes remaining after trailing by as many as 15 points. Day's defensive efforts and High IQ play, DeJesus' season high 15 points and the stableizing presense of Josh Rodriguez, was incredibly important for the Hawks during this run. Toward the end of this run, Ike Sheppard caught a highlight reel behind the back pass from Smith, that continued shifting the momentum the Hawks way.
As the half went on Freshman point guard Jamir Smith continued his stellar play, scoring 17 points and dishing out a number of huge assists to a number of different teammates.
A drive with about 6 minutes left from Smith, led to an alley-oop to Drain, giving the Hawks a huge burst of momentum, which was followed by a huge corner 3 and a finish high above the rim by Daniel Barrera to put the Hawks in position late in the half.
As the clock winded down, the Hawks found themselves down 1 with 20 seconds left, when Hawks leading scorer Jordan Drain was given the ball in a high ball screen at the top of the key. The sophomore star lined up a three at the top of the key, and buried it giving the Hawks a 2 point lead with 14 seconds left.
On the ensuing possession, the Raiders attempted to isolate their star guard Da'Vonte Meteo on the right wing and as he drove, Jamir Smith slid in sacrificing his body, and took a huge charge to give Mohawk possession with just under 10 seconds remaining.
The ball was entered into Smith, and the calm, cool and collected freshman knocked down 2 both free throws to give the Hawks a 80-76 and a victory over a very talented FMCC Raider team.
"We talk about Adversity to Prosperity with our team alot, when discussing road games especially. Today was the epitomy of buying into that. We took some "big punches" from Fulton Montgomery. EJ has his guys playing very hard and he has a very talented group and we were fortunate to be able to battle back late and find a way to get it done on the road. What Hayden, Ozzy, Josh, Daniel did, I mean I can go down the line, what they were able to do for us in the second half, was really special. This was the true definition of a team win." Coach Harley Fuller said after the victory.
Jordan Drain finished the game with 24 points, Jamir Smith finished the game with 17 points, Ike Sheppard 16, and Ozzy DeJesus 14.
The game was played in honor of a close friend of both Coach Harley Fuller, and Coach EJ Gallup (FMCC), Michael Philo, who passed away last spring after a battle with cancer. Funds raised during the event will be dispersed into a college fund for his youngest daughter.
The Hawks are quickly back in action on the road Sunday afternoon as they travel to Rochester to take on Bryant and Stratton Rochester in a 4:00 PM matchup.