Albany, NY - Both basketball teams took on the CMCC Mustangs Saturday afternoon in a very exciting day.
The men tipped off first at noon in a very hard fought battle. The Mustangs jumped to an early lead of 6, but Brett Richards (Kinderhook, NY) kept them in the game by scoring 17 first half points on 7/9 shooting from the field. The team as a whole shot an outstanding 60% from the field with 11 assists and 5 made threes to have a halftime deficit of just one point.
However, that lead did not last long for the Mustangs as the Panthers soon built a 7-point lead for themselves, the largest of the game. The Mustangs would cut it down to a one possession game several times, but could not regain and retain a lead. The Panthers excellent shooting continued as they racked up 12 more assists and Richards finished with a career high and ACPHS record 40 points! Throw in a Jalon Munox (Helotes, TX) near triple-double with 7 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists as well as 10 points and 7 assists from Michael Leak (Delanson, NY), and you've got an 85-79 Panthers victory.
Not only did Richards break the single game scoring record, but he also broke the single game record for made field goals (17) and moved up to second on the all time scoring list. The men will play tomorrow (11/24) at noon, this time against Vaughn College.
The women tipped off after the men in a game that would be the home debut of new head coach J'Neill Sharpe. The short-handed Panthers struggled offensively, turning the ball over 34 times which led to 57 points off turnovers for the Mustangs. The Mustangs defense was too much for the Panthers as they struggled to find the bottom of the net, shooting a mere 30% from the field. Amanda Salisbury (Johnsonville, NY) led the team with 9 points and 5 rebounds while Isabella Mancini (Galway, NY) added 7 points and 5 boards off the bench. Freshman Samantha Howland (Whitehall, NY) had 4 steals of her own, but it didn't compare to the overpowering Mustangs' defense. The Panthers would go on to lose 101-34.
The women will head to Word of Life on Thursday for their next game.
How to follow the Panthers: For the latest information on ACPHS athletics, visit acphspanthers.com or check out the ACPHS athletics social media platforms on Instgram @ACPHSPanthers or X @ACPHSAthletics.
Written by Angelo Oddo.
