Spartans Fall to Raiders in Playoffs
The Cayuga Community College Women's Basketball Team's season came to an end Saturday in a road loss to Fulton-Montgomery Community College in the first round of the Region III, Division III playoffs.
The 11th-seeded Spartans (8-16, 4-8) quickly fell behind the sixth-seeded Raiders (13-10, 6-6) and weren't able to catch up, losing 77-51. The Raiders move on to play the third-seeded Herkimer Generals (18-5, 10-2) on Tuesday.
The Raiders stormed out of the gate, quickly going up 13-0 on solid three-point shooting. The Spartans played the Raiders even the rest of the first half and trailed 40-25 at halftime.
The Raiders came out strong again in the third quarter, though, and remained in control the rest of the game.
Cayuga Coach Jim Alberici said he was proud of his team and thought the playoff experience would help next season.
"We kept battling, but we can't afford to spot teams that kind of lead," said Alberici. "I'm proud of them, though, because they never quit. They battled, just like we did all year. We're a young team, and I'm glad we got to experience playoff basketball."
Forward Gretchen Earl led Cayuga with 18 points to go with four rebounds. Guard Tori Mandel had 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists, and forward Jania Freeman led the Spartans with 12 rebounds and added six points and three steals.