By Ted Waddell
LOCH SHELDRAKE — February 18, 2005 – To some fans, the game might have been billed as a battle, but Tuesday night’s Region XV game between the host “Generals” of Sullivan County Community College (SCCC) and the Rockland Community College “Generals” turned into a rout as the local hoopsters defeated the visitors 82-57.
SCCC entered the game ranked fourth in the nation according to the latest National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III poll.
In the wake of the battle of the Generals at Paul Gerry Fieldhouse, SCCC’s record stood at 19-4 overall and 14-1 in Region XV and Rockland CC fell to 11-7 overall and 7-9 in Region XV competition.
Rockland’s Mike Dodd caused a ripple of fear to swirl around the home team bench in the first half as he heated it up with his outside shooting. Dodd swished four 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes of play.
In the second half, Dodd lost his range as he connected on only one 3-point basket. However, he finished the evening with a game-high 26 points.
Sullivan’s only two successful ‘3s’ were recorded by freshman guard Everage Richardson as he scored once in each frame from beyond the arc.
After taking a 43-36 lead into the locker room, it looked like Sullivan was losing steam at the beginning of the second half. The home team Generals allowed the visiting Generals to close the gap to within four points at 45-41.
Spurred on by a rather irate coach, SCCC rallied to go on a 14-0 run to take a 55-41 advantage with 14:45 remaining in the game.
If it wasn’t for the roar of the crowd in the closing minutes, you could have heard the bodies crashing under the boards as both squads battled for supremacy on the court.
SCCC players who scored in double figures included Kelvin “Petey” Nelson, who had a team-high 24 points, Greg “Steph” Johnson (21), Richardson (14) and Kevin “KJ” Johnson (10).
For Rockland CC, the double-digit scorers were Dodd, with his aforementioned 26 points and Hanzley Millien, who netted 18 points.
Jon “Kobe” Frasier led SCCC with eight defensive rebounds, while Kevin Johnson dished out a team-high 10 assists and Greg Johnson added four steals.
Stats from the free throw line: SCCC was 7-of-10 (70 percent) and RCC went 6-of-11 (55 percent).
In summing up the game, Rockland CC Coach Rob Kurzinsky was a man of few words.
“They kicked our a--,” he said. “They are a better coached team.”
SCCC Coach Chris DePew said it was a “good, physical game.”
“Their record doesn’t indicate just how good they are,” he said of the Rockland CC Generals. “They are fundamentally sound, strong and tough… they don’t go outside of what they’re capable of doing.”
Sullivan had some tired players out on the floor after playing 11 times in 15 days, which included a six-game homestand. But DePew gave credit where credit was due.
“Everybody stepped up and did their thing,” he said of his players. “Kelvin Nelson played a great game for us, and Kevin Johnson ran the offense like he always does.”
Notes: Next Tuesday (February 22), SCCC will try to clinch its third consecutive MHAL Conference title when it travels to Middletown to meet rival SUNY Orange.
• The Generals are scheduled to play their homecoming game against Berkeley College on Saturday, Feb. 26.
• DePew said that last fall he set four goals for the 2004-2005 SCCC hoops season: win the MHAL, get the #1 seed for the NJCAA Region XV Tournament, win the NJCAA Region XV title and take the brass ring at the NJCAA National Championships at Delhi College (March 17-19).
“They’re all in our sights right now,” he said. “We control our own destiny.”
• Something new took place Tuesday night “Down in the Bunker” at Paul Gerry Fieldhouse.
During breaks in the action and at halftime, Jeff Jefferson added some audio fire to the game, as he spun a few discs to keep the crowd rocking all night long.
The sophomore student disc jockey bills himself as “JJ’s DJ Service.”