Playoff Road Contests set for Spartans
The Cayuga Community College men's and women's teams will be on the road for the opening round of the Region III, Division III basketball playoffs this weekend.
The Spartans enter the postseason with identical 8-15 records and 4-8 marks in the Mid-State Athletic Conference. Both teams are the 11-seeds in their respective playoff brackets and will play familiar foes at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22.
The Cayuga Men's Basketball Team will travel to Mid-State Athletic Conference opponent Jefferson Community College, who is the six-seed with a 15-8 overall record and a 7-5 conference record. Jefferson swept two games against the Spartans in the regular season, including an 82-69 win in Watertown and a 75-64 win in Auburn.
The Spartans are led by guards Deonte Holder (20 points and five rebounds per game), Stanley Beato (13 points, six rebounds) and Jacob Ramirez (nine points, four assists). Cayuga will face a balanced Cannoneers squad, led by guard Isiah Murphy (14 points per game) and forwards Liam Bonk and Joshua Newman, who average a combined 25 points and 17 rebounds.
Tip-off for the Cayuga Men's Basketball Team is 1 p.m. Saturday, with the winner facing the Herkimer Generals (20-6, 14-2) in Herkimer on Feb. 25.
The Cayuga Women's Basketball Team will travel to Fulton Montgomery Community College to play the six-seeded Raiders (12-10, 6-6). In their lone match-up earlier this season, the Spartans lost 62-47 on the road.
The Spartans feature a balanced offense, with guard Fatimaah Findley (13 points per game) and forwards Jania Freeman (11 points, 10 rebounds) and Gretchen Earl (11 points, eight rebounds) leading the way. The Raiders also feature a balanced scoring attack, with Niaimani Marshall, Hasijna Gaddy and Kendra Lavery all scoring more than 11 points per game.
Tip-off for the Cayuga Women's Basketball Team is 1 p.m. Saturday. The winner will advance to play the third-seeded Herkimer Generals (18-5, 10-2) on Tuesday, Feb. 25.
More information on the Region III, Division III playoffs can be found at https://www.njcaaregion3.org/landing/index.