Warriors Fall To Berkely In Conference Semifinals

The Warriors marked their fourth time in the Hudson Valley Men's Athletic Conference (HVMAC) championship this month with a semifinal playoff game against reigning champs Berkeley College. Despite a valiant effort, the Warriors fell to Berkeley 74-44 on Saturday, February 16.
 
The game started off challenging for the Warriors with only 6 shots falling in their favor in the first half despite outshooting the Berkeley Knights 36 to 26 and out rebounding the Knights 11 to 1 on the offensive boards.
 
The Warriors finished the first half down 37-16 despite sustained shooting and rebound efforts. In the second half the Warriors tried to cut into the Knights first half lead, but each time the Warriors would go on a small run, the Knights would be there ready to respond.
 
The team was led by senior forward Jihad Ceaser, junior guard Jared Ndiba who finished the game with 13 points, and senior center Mahdi Macbahi who had 12 points and 16 rebounds, and single handedly had more offensive rebounds than the Knights combined.
 
"The team really worked hard out there and I was proud of their efforts," said Coach Ricky McCollum. "Unfortunately, we were just outplayed by the reigning champions."
 
The Warriors finished the season with a 3-3 conference record cinching their participation in the HVMAC championship. While the chase for that championship ended here, the Warriors never gave up and continued to improve through out the season.