The FDR boys basketball team used its speed to run host Highland off the floor when the two teams met last month. This past Sunday, with the MHAL title on the line, FDR won a thriller with its athleticism again.
Senior Connor Hart dropped in a lay-up on a feed from Shareef Taylor at the buzzer to lift the Presidents to a 54-52 over the Huskies in the finals of the Mid-Hudson Athletic League tournament on Feb. 24 at the Athletic and Wellness Center at SUNY New Paltz.
“We got it done. It wasn’t pretty, but we got it done,” said FDR coach Kevin Hart. “Highland played one heck of a game. They were real tough. They played an awesome game.”
It was indeed a gutsy effort from Class B Highland, after losing to FDR by 19 points earlier in the year. Highland coach Mike Milliman slowed the pace of the game and instructed his players to hit the boards hard, which helped limit Class AA Roosevelt’s scoring opportunities.
The Presidents led 15-13 at the end of the first quarter, but Highland had clawed to 25-24 lead at the half, thanks to the relentless rebounding of Kevin Matcham, Mikiah Downing and Joel Palmatier.
After a back-and-forth third quarter that ended with Highland ahead 40-39, both teams traded leads down the stretch in the fourth quarter. With the score tied at 52 with two seconds left and FDR inbounding under the Huskies’ basket, Hart collected the pass and passed to a streaking Taylor, who nailed the lay-up as the buzzer sounded.
Taylor, who will be playing for SUNY New Paltz next year, led the Presidents with 17, while Hart had 13 and point guard George Dallas scored 8.
Highland’s Palmatier led all scorers with 20 points.
Matcham said Highland’s defense was the reason the Huskies were able to stay with FDR.
“We just came up short at the end,” he said.
The championship was FDR’s first in school’s history in the MHAL. “Just the chemistry of our team is amazing,” said coach Kevin Hart. He said his players, “reached a common goal together and not as individuals.”
Hart said of his winning basket, “We’ve run that play for three years now. I’ve got that play down pat.”
The Presidents next played on Thursday, Feb. 28 in the Section IX playoffs after the Beat’s press time. They were scheduled to play at home at 6 p.m. Read next week’s Beat for the full results.