Owens game-winner gives Generals’ 11 consecutive wins

HERKIMER, NY – Daniel Owens (Albany, NY) hit a 16 foot jumper with 6.6 seconds remaining to give the Herkimer Generals a thrilling 58-57 Mountain Valley Conference victory over Fulton-Montgomery on Thursday night in Herkimer, NY. The win puts Herkimer record at 11-1 on the year and 4-0 in conference play while the Raiders drop to 7-5 overall and 2-2 in the conference.

The #4 nationally ranked Generals raced out to an early 15-7 lead on the Raiders in the first seven minutes of the ballgame, showing no ill effects from the three week holiday layoff. But Fulton-Montgomery battled back behind the sharp shooting of Courtney Darnley, who would score 19 points on the night, including 4 three pointers. The Raiders caught the Generals at 24-24 and eventually went into the locker room with a 28-25 lead.

The second half was back and forth, with Fulton-Montgomery capturing their biggest advantage with a 45-40 lead with 7 minutes remaining. But Ken Woodard (Bronx, NY) lead the charge back for the Generals, scoring 6 of his 13 points in a 2 minute stretch to give Herkimer the lead back at 46-45 with 5 minutes remaining.

The two teams battled back and forth until Darnley hit the last of his 4 three pointers with 43.2 seconds left to give the Raiders a 57-56 lead. After a missed shot and offensive rebound, Owens hit the winning jumper from the foul line with 6.6 seconds remaining. After an FMCC timeout, they rushed down the length of the floor but could not get a shot off in time as there was a mad scramble under the basket for the loose ball as the horn went off.

Woodard's 13 points paced a balanced scoring attack for the Generals. Jamell Johnson (Rochester, NY) battled foul trouble all night yet still ended up with 12 points. Carson Murphy (Mohawk, NY) and Julio Galay (Bronx, NY) each contributed 10 points to the winning effort.

It does not get any easier for the Generals as they travel to Mountain Valley Conference rival SUNY Delhi for a 3:00 tip on Saturday, January 10. The Generals and Broncos have combined to win the last 5 Region III Men's Basketball Championships.

Score:

Herkimer 58, Fulton-Montgomery 57

HERK (11-1, 4-0) Galay 10, Murphy 10, Johnson 12, Owens 8, Woodard 13, Langhorne 4, McCarthy 1

FMCC (7-5, 2-2)

3-point goals: Generals 5 (Murphy, Johnson 2, Owens 2)

Halftime:

Fulton-Montgomery 28-25

Next Game: 1/10 at SUNY Delhi 3 p.m.

-Richard Dawkins