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1-17-2008 By ERIC AHLQVIST Editor The Redskins own a two game lead over the Mustangs with four league games remaining, including Friday night's game at Waterville. "We stressed for the last three days of practice that this was the big one," said a smiling CCS basketball coach Dave Bertram after the game. "I felt like we were in control throughout...until the final three minutes." Mac Curran's basket after an offensive rebound gave Cooperstown (14-1 overall, 6-0 CSC play) a 53-40 lead with 3:10 remaining. But Markham scored the game's next nine points, including a three-point play which fouled Davine out of the game, to pull within 53- 49 with 55 seconds remaining. Luke Tirrell (13 points) hit one of two free throws with 45 seconds left, and Markham missed two three-point shots before Brad Ashford hit another free throw to make it 55- 49. Cooperstown's Eric Jederlinic made four free throws and Curran two more in the final seconds to seal the win. "Our defensive intensity was great," Bertram said. "They have two good shooters (Kyle Maxson and Josh Pugh) and neither one of them hit a three-point shot. Offensively, we just kept taking it to the basket, and they didn't do a good job of stopping us from getting to the rim." Ashford scored 12 of his game-high 19 points in the first half as Cooperstown held a slim 27-25 lead. The Redskins stretched the lead to five after three quarters, and Tirrell and Ryan Davine (eight points) scored four points each to begin the fourth quarter as the lead stretched to 11. "We've played the last two games with great intensity, and we can't let down now," Bertram said. "Three of our four league games are on the road, and we need to keep winning to clinch the division." On Saturday in Richfield Springs, Cooperstown played one of its better games of the year, frustrating the Indians with their full court pressure and leading throughout in the 67-50 non-league road win. Davine, a junior, had his best game of the season, scoring 21 points off the bench, including 15 in the first half, when the Redskins opened up a 36-23 lead. Tirrell scored eight first quarter points, and also contributed a career-high 21 points. "We've been getting production from different people almost every night," said Bertram. "You never know who's going to be the one to carry the offensive load for us." Tirrell and Davine helped offset a monster game from Richfield's man-child freshman center Fred Russ, who scored 19 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and blocked five shots. Russ is 6'4" and weighs about 220 pounds. "Our guards did such a good job defending that they weren't able to use Russ like I'm sure they'd have liked to," Bertram said. "It was probably one of our better games of the year." Davine's three-point shot midway through the third quarter made it 43-24 Cooperstown, but Richfield went on an 11-3 run to cut the lead to 11 at 46-35. But Tirrell hit a couple of baseline jumpers to push the lead back to 15, and the Indians never got any closer the rest of the game. Cooperstown and Richfield will meet again in Cooperstown on Tuesday, Jan. 29. The CCS girls basketball team improved to 13-0 with two easy Center State Conference wins last week. |
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