Hudson, New York - The Corning Community College Men's Basketball team lost an overtime thriller to Columbia Greene Community College's men's team this past Saturday 81-77. With the loss, the Red Baron's ended their season with a 7-17 (6-8) overall record.
In what would be their final game, Marcus Reed, Damon Brumfield, Wilfredo Sanchez, Jose Millord, and Allen Mutiganzi all played big roles in the Red Baron's attempt to pull off an upset on the road after falling behind by as many as 19 points with 11 minutes left in regulation. While the first half featured mostly a back and forth battle, the Twins (Columbia-Greene) would take control late in the first half as they entered the break with a 39-30 lead. The first nine minutes of the second half saw Columbia-Greene take full control of the game as they blew it open 56-37 with 11 minutes remaining in regulation.
The Red Baron's would not go away however, as the aforementioned Reed, Sanchez, Millord, Mutiganzi and freshman forwards Antuan Darden and Joaquan Thomas would help spark a wild 29-10 run to tie the game 66-66. The comeback began with the Red Baron's chipping away at the lead, and with four minutes left in the second half, Corning found themselves down 66-54. Following a timeout, Millord (Torrington, CT) would jump a pass for a steal, and race down to the other end where he was fouled while finishing the fast break layup. The three-point play cut the lead to nine, and from there the Red Baron's would refuse to have their season end as they continued to knock down big shot after big shot, setting the stage for the final 12 seconds of regulation.
Following two clutch free throws by Millord, Columbia Greene called timeout to set up one last shot before the end of regulation. However, thanks to great pressure defending the ball, the Red Baron's were able to force a turnover. Unfortunately, Corning would not get a shot off, as the ball was stripped from leading scorer, Marcus Reed, and somehow Columbia Greene was able to get a wide open look, but the buzzer sounded and the shot fell short.
In overtime, it was all Columbia-Green to begin, as the Twins pushed the lead to five. However, much like the end of the second half, the Red Baron's would not give up, as they cut the lead to one, but could not get a stop. With under 15 seconds to play, Corning was finally able to come down with a rebound with the score 77-79. In what would be a microcosm of the season, the Red Baron's would not be able to get a shot off, as point guard Fredo Sanchez stepped out of bounds on a step-back attempt from three-point land. The Twins would inbound a deep pass for a layup, and that would be the end of the game and the careers at Corning Community College for the aforementioned sophomores Reed, Brumfield, Sanchez,
Mutiganzi, and Millord.
Despite the loss, and disappointing season results, the team made huge strides. First-year coach Jason Whitney said "despite the team's record, he was proud of how the team finished the year with not giving up and fighting until the very end."