Men's basketball team falls short in close contest against D'Youville

JOHN COZZA
Special to The Leader

Fredonia was matched up against a worthy adversary on Tuesday Nov. 20 as the D'Youville Spartans gave the Blue Devils an intense game filled with excitement and high energy.

Both teams had a disappointing previous year and started this year off with identical 0-2 seasons. This game broke one of their losing streaks and sent the other into further peril.

Kevin Moore, head coach of the Blue Devils, was aware of what needed to be accomplished before the game.

"There needs to be better decisions down the stretch [last five minutes of the game]," said Moore. "The stretch is a crucial time for basketball and can overturn even a commanding lead."

The game started off with the Blue Devils trailing in the first half. The team exhibited a powerful zone defense but the Spartans long distance game was on as they scored multiple three-point shots in the first half.

Late in the first half, senior guard Matt Moore knocked over a Spartan and took a spill. He hurt his ankle, but with help was able to walk off the court. Moore then made a foul leaving the Spartans to gain some points by making both foul shots.

The first half ended with a score of 29-37 with the Blue Devils still trailing behind. Dan Durkin, a coach at Lakeshore High School who also helps Kevin Moore with the summer program noticed a lot of new systems in play this year.

"The team is very athletic but there has been a large player turnover," said Durkin. "The team still works very well together."

The team showed their cohesiveness by coming out to the second half of the game filled with energy and enthusiasm.

Just four minutes into the half, the Blue Devils raced back up to grab the lead with two three-pointers scored by junior guard Rick Buckmon and senior center Kyle Gordon. The crowd became zestful and lively with the score of 43-40.

The Blue Devils were on a roll and continued to score three more three-pointers. They then assumed a commanding lead of 64-49 and the crowd began to stomp on the bleachers with the win in sight. The Spartans began playing a tight zone defense and created an impenetrable force that the Blue Devils could not pass through.

Former Blue Devil player and assistant coach of the Spartans, Reuben Owens, commented on the Blue Devils during the game.

"Fredonia is a pretty tough team," said Owens. "I played under Moore and they will be a challenge to beat but they are definitely beatable."

D'Youville proved Fredonia was beatable by slowly regaining their lead. Another injury occurred with only three minutes remaining. D'Youville forward Tom Kowalski took a nasty fall and severely hurt his ankle. Kowalski was unable to put any pressure on his injured foot and was carried off by two people.

The game heated up and D'Youville created a fierce comeback making the last seconds of the game pivotal. The Blue Devils lost their lead with a minute and a half left and struggled to comeback. There was only 7.8 seconds left with a score of 71-72, but Fredonia failed to regain their lead.

The game ended with a score of 71-73. Both teams played with their all and struggled in a game that was evenly matched.

Fredonia can next be seen against Cortland at 8 pm Nov. 30 at home.