Generals break Twins three-game win streak at home

(Herkimer's Ken Woodard scored 17 points in the second half of Thursdays game. Helping him was four offensive rebounds).

HERKIMER, NY – In an up-and-down game for both halves, the Herkimer Generals men's basketball team came out on top, defeating their second straight Mountain Valley Conference opponent Thursday (1/15) evening in the varsity gym 79-75.

Herkimer (13-2, 6-1) battled with the Twins in the first 20 minutes to the tune of six lead changes. It took a 10-4 run which included two three-point field goals by Jamell Johnson (Rochester, NY) and a pair of jumpers by Dantre Langhorne (Greenport, NY) and Felix Riascos (Poughkeepsie, NY) to build a four point lead (31-27) with under five left remaining in the first half. Johnson finished with 11 points in the half, ending with a team-high 22. Langhorne finished with five while Riascos scored a season-high 10.

The final five minutes saw the Twins claw back into it until a Daniel Owens (Albany, NY) three-pointer gave Herkimer the final shot made in the half with 3.8 left, giving the Generals a 34-33 lead at half.

The one point lead the Generals had at intermission ballooned to nine within the first three minutes of play with Johnson and Carson Murphy (Mohawk, NY) combining for eight, causing Columbia-Greene to call a time out. It didn't stop the momentum as forward Ken Woodard (Bronx, NY) made his presence felt on the offensive glass, grabbing four which helped his team dominate, building a 15 point lead with seven minutes left in regulation. Woodard finished the second half with 17 points, scoring 19 in total.

The final four minutes of regulation however belonged to the Twins, erasing the double digit deficit and making a game of this conference matchup. In the matter of 90 seconds, Columbia-Greene went on a 6-0 run to make it 77-75 with 8.8 left. A key defensive tip by Murphy to Johnson put the guard in position to ice the game after grabbing the defensive rebound. The sophomore answered, making both shots for his team, giving Herkimer nine wins in their last 10 games.

Mountain Valley Conference competition continues this Saturday (1/17) when Herkimer faces Schenectady County Community College at home. The Royals are 1-8 and currently losers of their last five games. With tip off scheduled for 3 p.m., Herkimer will look to make it six in a row.

Score:

Herkimer 79, Columbia-Green 75

HERK (13-2, 6-1) Jamell Johnson 22, Ken Woodard 16, Julio Galay 10, Carson Murphy 10, Felix Riascos 10, Dantre Langhorne 5, Jallah Tarver 3, Daniel Owens 3 Totals: 28-14-79

CGCC (9-7, 3-2) Jordan Hoose 19, Sawyer Spohler 14, Tydrea Rodriguez 13, Jaden Edwards 11, Peter Fortes 6, Anthony Chicaiza 6, Jon-Taylor Elmendorf 3, Chance Ryan 3 Totals: 25-17-75

3-point goals: Generals 10 (Johnson 6, Murphy 1, Owens 1, Tarver 1, Riascos 1), Twins 4 (Spohler 2, Ryan 1, Elmendorf 1)

Halftime:

Herkimer 34-33

Next Game: 1/17 vs. Schenectady 3 p.m.

-Giorgio Varlaro