By Chuck Stewart, Jr.
Beacon - On Saturday, June 14, 2008 the Hudson Valley Hawks kicked off their post-season quest for a championship with a win over the Westchester Monarchs. The final score was 126-110 and the Hawks improve their overall record to 5-9.
The Monarchs pushed the Hawks in the first quarter, forcing 6’9" Forward Anthony Bitting into early foul trouble. Bitting racked up three fowls in the first 12 minutes of play.
The Hudson Valley Hawks aggressively pushed back in the second quarter. Hawks Point Guard Willie Coleman kicked things off with a three pointer. The Hawks slowly closed the gap, and with three minutes left, Tay Fisher hit a three pointer to pull the Hawks to within one point. Two minutes later, Fisher would hit a two-pointer tying the game at 51.
Fisher, on fire, would moments later hit a three-pointer (while being fowled), pulling the Hawks ahead by three and making the extra point. By half time the Hawks would lead by eight points, 59-51.
Dropping leads in the second half had been a problem for the Hawks. Head Coach Adam Spencer said the team who could control the tempo, both offensively and defensively would win the game and advance to the championship. He was right.
The Hawks continued to dominate on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court. Fisher and Coleman continued their onslaught of three-pointers against the Monarchs. At the end of the third quarter, the Hawks opened the lead up to 23 points over the Monarchs, 93-70.
The Westchester Monarch’s struggled to cut the Hawks lead. The closest they would come was 12 points. Coleman would start the fourth quarter with a three-pointer for the Hawks. Fisher would follow the next time down the court. Coleman and Fisher would each have five three-pointers at the end of the night and combine for 57 of the Hawks 126 points. The duo would prove to be too powerful for the Monarch’s to overcome.
Hawks Coach Adam Spencer said, "We take no team lightly. We know what the Monarchs are capable of." Having out scored them 67-36 in the third and fourth quarters made the difference.
While proud of the team’s accomplishments and happy to be able to give the fans a home court victory, Spencer is already looking ahead to next weeks game. "Tonight was a hard-fought game, but now we have to look forward to playing Elmira and it’s a battle that we’re exited to be in."
The Hawks will continue their post-season run this Saturday when they travel to Elmira to take on the NPBL regular season champion Bulldogs.
