HERKIMER, N.Y. — The Salem Community College basketball team's second day in the NJCAA Division III National Tournament didn't go quite as well as the Mighty Oaks' smashing debut.

Sophomore Akeem Taylor filled the box score with 23 points, seven rebounds and five assists, but it alone wasn't enough to help the Mighty Oaks climb out of a big first-half deficit and they fell to second-seeded Mohawk Valley CC 71-49 in the national Elite 8.

The 49 points were the fewest the Mighty Oaks have scored in a game this season and was the second-fewest in Mike Green's 50-game tenure as head coach. They came into the game as the ninth-best scoring team in JUCO Division III and fifth-highest scoring team here. Mohawk Valley was the No. 1 team in scoring defense.

"It was a really tough game for us," Green said. "They just beat us in every facet of the game. Everything that could go wrong went wrong. One of our worst games of the year." 

All is not lost, however. Although their dream of winning a national championship is gone, the Mighty Oaks (24-8) do get to continue here and will play Region 19 rival Union in a consolation bracket game at 2 p.m. Friday. A win in that game will allow them to play Saturday. A loss sends them home.

Mohawk Valley (27-1) dominated the first half with its front line that went 6-6, 6-8, 6-10. The Hawks clogged up the middle, repelled most of Salem's attacks on the basket and when the Mighty Oaks missed predictably cleared the boards.

Mohawk Valley held a 25-9 rebounding edge in the first half and outscored the Mighty Oaks 14-0 on second-chance points. Salem had one offensive rebound in the half. Things were a little better in the second half when and got as close as 13 with 10 minutes to play, but the hole was just too big.

Taylor was the only Salem player to have any success against the Hawks. Their other starters combined for nine points, with center Jyheim Spencer accounting for seven of those. A.J. Jones scored seven points off the bench.

"He's a dog, he gets up for games like that," Green said of Taylor. "We just didn't have enough dogs to go with him – tonight."

BY: Al Muskewitz
      Riverview Sports