By Rob Potter
FALLSBURG — February 18, 2003 – Senior guard Kyle Humphrey led the way as the Tri-Valley Bears earned a big win last Thursday night in Fallsburg.
Humphrey scored a game-high 27 points and knocked down four three-point shots as the Bears defeated the Fallsburg Comets, 60-51, in an Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association (OCIAA) Division IV game.
With the victory, T-V (10-7, 3-3 Division IV) assured itself of a spot in the upcoming Section IX Class C boys’ basketball tournament. Fallsburg fell to 11-3 overall and 5-2 in Division IV play, but will also be participating in the Section IX Class C tournament.
After falling behind 14-10 at the end of the first quarter, T-V rallied in the second period. With 5:26 remaining until the half, Humphrey swished a three-point shot from the top of the key to knot the score at 17-17. Fifteen seconds later, Humphrey made another three-pointer to give the Bears a 20-17 lead.
The Bears took a 32-23 lead into the locker room. In the third quarter, Martin Henry-Lester scored eight of his 12 total points as T-V led by as many as 16 points.
Fallsburg rallied in the fourth period, however.
With one minute remaining in the game, Comet forward Lionel White made both ends of a one-and-one foul shot situation to bring Fallsburg to within three points at 54-51.
But T-V’s Travis Wolfe and Danny Weisberg combined to make five-of-six free throws in the final minute to seal the win.
“Everybody was willing to work hard tonight and the team showed a lot of heart,” T-V Coach Jason Semo said. “I think we rebounded better tonight than we have in any game this season.”
Of course, Semo praised the way Humphrey played.
“Kyle is one of the best players in the section,” Semo said. “He’s been able to keep the composure of the whole team. He’s not only a great player, but he’s a great leader as well.”
In addition to Humphrey and Henry-Lester, T-V’s Eli Felder also reached double figures. Felder netted 11 points on the evening.
Fallsburg was led by senior guard Jon Hinton, who scored 16 points. Senior center Brandon McKenny added eight points for the Comets.
“We shot horrible and they played very good defense,” Fallsburg Coach Paul Marsden said. “We couldn’t do much offensively because Tri-Valley did such an excellent job defensively.”