By Jeanne Sager
FALLSBURG — April 15, 2003 – Fallsburg

Overall Record: 17-6

League Record: 5-3 OCIAA Division IV

Team Leaders: Senior guard Jon Hinton led the Comets’ offense by averaging 20 points per game. He hit 79 three-point shots on the season.
Senior Zaquan Hilliard averaged 10 points and 10 rebounds per game. Brandon McKenny, another senior, scored an average of nine points a game and grabbed 10 rebounds per contest.
Senior Lionel White averaged eight points and eight rebounds per contest.
Randy Mack, a sophomore, was the team’s starting point guard.

Season Highlight: “The highlight for us was easy,” Coach Paul Marsden said. “It was reaching the state Class C final four. It was great.”
Marsden noted that at the beginning of the season the Comets set a series of goals for themselves, beginning with winning the OCIAA Division IV title. Unfortunately for the team, that goal was not fufilled as Chester won the division crown.
“But we had a good season and made a great run in sectionals,” Marsden said. “We got back to the final four for the first time in about 20 years and that was nice.”

Season Lowlight: “Our first loss to Chester,” Marsden said. “We were ahead by three points with 11 seconds left. But they defended well and were able to make a basket. Then they made another basket to beat us by one point.”

Other: Hinton was named the team’s MVP and Doug Novogrodsky was chosen as the team’s most improved player.
Hilliard earned the Rollie Allen Sportsmanship Award. The award is named after Allen, who spent 45 years as athletic director at Fallsburg Central School.
Hilliard was also earned a sportsmanship award at the state semifinals and was named to the Class C all-star team at the final four in Glens Falls.