by Steve Bradley
The HFCS boys basketball team got caught in a rain of three-pointers Friday evening at the Hudson Valley College McDonough Sports Complex. It seemed their opponent, the number one seeded Mekeel Christian Lions, couldn’t miss. Draining one three-pointer after another, usually only touching the net, the threes rained down. It was a very impressive show and an onslaught for which the Panthers had no answer. It began right after the jump ball to start the game and, although it lessened in the second half, it never let up. The loss brought the 2015-16 season to an end.
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After Kellan Skott scored the Panthers first point on a foul shot early in the first quarter, the Lions went on a spree. By the time Alex Mendez scored again for the Panthers with less than a minute left in the first quarter, the Lions had opened up a 24-1 lead. Coach Mike Lilac used three time-outs in the first six minutes to try to break the Tigers momentum, but nothing was going to slow this team down on this night. When the quarter came to an end, the Panthers were looking at a 27-4 deficit. Twenty-one of Mekeel’s points came on threes. Mekeel Christian’s Deonte Holder scored 20 points in the first half, 18 of those using the long range three-pointer. The defense of MC was equally impressive, as the players seemed far wider than they were tall with long arms creating huge wingspans.
The second quarter was more of the same, although the Panthers did get their feet under them a little more. The Lions scored 16 points in the second quarter, 15 of those points coming on threes. Hoosick Falls added 14 points to their total, but found themselves in a 43-18 halftime hole.
The Panthers looked strong in the third quarter when they outscored the Lions, 16-13. Mendez got hot, hitting three three-pointers and a couple of twos, but the Panthers couldn’t keep it going. The Lions came back in the fourth quarter, outscoring Hoosick Falls 20-7. Mekeel Christian’s Scotty Voelker scored 14 points, including three threes, in the fourth quarter. Voelker ended the game with 20 points and teammate Holder ended with 24. Four MC players ended the game in double figures. Mendez was the only Panther in double figures with 16.
It was just one of those nights.[/private]