Anytime Mohawk Valley and Herkimer matchup on the hardwood, it is sure to be an epic battle. When the two matched up on Sunday afternoon the statement prove to true.
In the opening quarter, the Generals and Hawks saw a back and forth battle ensure as the Hawks strong armed their way to a 16-14 lead over the first 10 minutes of play. Despite a number of turnovers for Herkimer, their defense held strong and kept them close early on.
As the second quarter started, both teams amped up their defense. Although defense was the key for both teams, Raegan Dalrymple was the catalyst in the scoring column for the Hawks in the second quarter especially. Her 8 first half points led the way for Mohawk Valley set the tone and kept the game close.
The 2nd quarter was won by the Generals by a score of 11-9, which deadlocked the score 25-25 going into the locker room.
Coming out in the second half, Mohawk Valley turned their pressure up and caused a number of turnovers early on. Over the past few games, MV has used the 3rd quarter to propel them to victory, and this game was no different. Back to back jumpers by Ella Morse late in the third propelled a 7-0 run. A steal and a layup by Raegan Dalrymple made it 38-31 with just under a minute left in the 3rd.
Thats when Mackenzie Hess made her imprint on the game, as she scored on back to back possessions to take a 42-34 lead.
With that series of events, the Hawks won the third quarter 17-9, taking an 8 point lead into the final 10 minutes of action .
As the 4th quarter started, turnovers proved to be an important aspect of this game. The Mohawk Valley defense turned the Generals over 24 times, compared to MV's 13, which allowed the Hawks a number of transition opportunities that they were able to capatlize on. The Hawks maintained a double digit lead for most of the 4th quarter, and an Abby Jepsen jumper with 2:41 left saw the lead climb to 13.
The Generals battled over that final two minutes and cut the lead to 6. However, high level free throw shooting (6/6) over the final 2 minutes of play sealed the victory for the Hawks by a final score of 58-50.
Mohawk Valley was led in scoring by 13 points from Nevaeh House. Raegan Dalrymple again filled the stat sheet for the 2nd time this weekend scoring 11 points, grabbing 12 rebounds, dishing out 5 assists, grabbing 2 steals and blocking 2 shots. Ella Morse rounded out the double figure scoring for the Hawks but adding 11 points.
The victory bring Coach Coffey's Mohawk Valley Hawks to 10-2 on the season. They will be back in action on Wednesday afternoon as they travel to Fulton Montgomery Community College for a 5:00 PM matchup against the Raiders.
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