COBLESKILL, NY - Cobleskill hung on to beat Hartwick by three points, 63-60, on Saturday in the final game of the fall semester for the Hawks. A 9-0 Cobleskill run in the closing stages of the game erased a four point deficit and gave the Fighting Tigers the lead for good. The Hawks overall record stands at 4-6. Cobleskill improves to 3-7.
The game was closely contested with 14 lead changes and 11 ties throughout the day. The Hawks led by a count of 57-53 with just over five minutes to play following a pair of free throws from Mark Blazek (Erie, PA/Erie Cathedral Prep). Cobleskill would net the game's next nine points over the next five minutes while the Hawks went 0-for-7 from the floor with five turnovers in the span.
With Cobleskill leading 62-57 with 11 seconds left in regulation, Hartwick senior forward James Mantas (Niskayuna, NY/CBA) hit a three-point field goal to cut the deficit to 62-60. The Hawks fouled Fighting Tiger junior guard Craig Orner, who stepped to the line with 10 seconds remaining and split a pair of free throws to increase the hosts' edge to three, 63-60.
Blazek pushed the ball up the floor and launched an open three with five seconds left that caromed off the iron into the hands of Mantas. His contested three-point effort with three seconds left in regulation was off the mark giving the Fighting Tigers the victory.
Blazek ended the game as the high scorer with 18 points. Mantas registered 11 points and Kyle Phillips (Ashland, MA/Ashland) dropped in 10. Dan DeVantier (Roscoe, NY/Roscoe) contributed eight points for the Hawks and Mike Tracy (Morris, NY/Morris) pulled down a team-best five rebounds. Orner had 17 points to pace the Fighting Tigers. Damon Franklin scored 16 points and Haneef Scott recorded 12.
The Hawks shot 40% (22-of-55) from the field as a team in the contest. Cobleskill hit 44% (20-for-45) of its shots. 'Wick had an off day at the free throw line making just 61% (11-of-18) of its attempts. The Blue and White entered the game hitting 79% from the stripe as a team and had missed just two attempts (37-of-39, 95%) in its last three games.
Hartwick is idle until 2010 when it returns to Empire 8 play. The Hawks host Nazareth on Jan. 2nd and St. John Fisher on Jan. 3rd.
