By Ted Waddell
ROSCOE — February 11, 2005 – Despite outscoring the Roscoe Blue Devils 12 to 4 in the opening quarter, the Livingston Manor Wildcats were faced with a short-lived comeback by the Blue Devils in the second period of Wednesday night’s Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association (OCIAA) Division VI basketball game.
In that second quarter, the host Blue Devils fought back to within a point (11-10), only to watch the Wildcats head off to the locker room with a 23-14 lead at halftime.
In the third period, the Wildcats keep up their winning ways, outscoring Roscoe by a 19-13 margin.
The Blue Devils battled back in the final frame to edge Manor by three (21-18), but it was a case of too little, too late as the Wildcats posted a 60-48 victory.
Manor improved its record to 11-6 overall and 5-3 in Division VI play. Roscoe fell to 5-13 overall and 2-6 in Division VI.
A trio of Wildcats reached double digits in the scoring column. Josh Mendez led the way with 14 points, Mike Perry netted 11 points and Rob Baker added 10.
Two Blue Devils made it into double figures. Troy Kirchner scored a game-high 16 points and Dan DeVantier recorded 14.
Stats from the free throw line: Manor was 5-of-11 (45 percent) and Roscoe was 10-of-14 (71 percent).
“I give credit to Livingston Manor,” Roscoe Coach Fred Ahart said. “They have a fine team.”
Roscoe’s veteran helmsman said he was proud of his squad’s comeback in the second quarter, but noted that it’s hard for a team to sustain a comeback when it is so far behind.
“I thought we played hard, but we came up short,” Ahart said.
Taking on the role of unofficial team psychologist, Manor Coach Charlie Hicks said his hoopsters needed a bit of time on the couch.
“I think my guys are bipolar,” he said. “They play five minutes really well and then five awful minutes.
“Roscoe is a good team, and they’re very scrappy,” Hicks added.
He praised Baker’s performance in the contest.
“He owned the rebounds on the boards defensively and offensively,” Hicks said.
The Manor helmsman added that Tim Bryant and Mendez both played “a great game.”
Hicks said the Wildcats are playing well, but are lacking something that could make them even better.
“We’re just missing one piece, and I don’t know what it is,” he said. “I hope we’ll get it together in time for the sectionals.”