By Rob Potter
ROSCOE — January 8, 2010 — A fast start and balanced scoring attack helped the visiting Livingston Manor Wildcats post an 81-60 victory over the Roscoe Blue Devils on Tuesday night in an Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association (OCIAA) Division VI basketball game.
Manor (1-4, 1-2 Div. VI) took a 17-2 advantage in the first five minutes of the game and maintained the lead for the rest of the evening.
Troy Edwards made a 3-pointer from the wing with 3:21 remaining in the opening quarter to give the Wildcats their 15-point lead.
The Blue Devils closed their deficit to 21-13 with 58 seconds left in the quarter as Jordan Tallman scored in the lane while being fouled and then made his free throw.
But Manor senior guard Ross Abbott made a pair of 3-point shots to give his team a 27-15 advantage going into the second period.
The Wildcats continued their good shooting performance in those eight minutes of play to hold a 56-30 lead at halftime.
Roscoe (1-7, 0-2 Div. VI) outscored the Wildcats 17 to 13 in the third quarter and 13 to 12 in the fourth period, but could not overcome Manor’s quick start.
Six Wildcats scored in double figures. Leading the way were Abbott and Kenny Fisk with 13 points apiece. Edwards and Lee Sharshakuu each netted 12 points, while Correa had 11 points and Brandon Smith recorded 10 points.
“We’re a fast break team,” Manor Coach Charlie Hicks said. “We were able to get some steals and turn them into good shots.”
Adam Hendrix and Nate Brock paced the Blue Devils’ offense with 15 points and 13 points, respectively. Hendrix also recorded five assists.
Roscoe’s Jesse Huggins, who scored nine points, and teammate Willie Browne both grabbed nine rebounds.
“Manor has a good, athletic team,” Roscoe Coach Fred Ahart said. “They played very well tonight and Charlie [Hicks] does a great job of coaching them.”
Ahart noted that his team will “look to improve with each game” for the rest of the season.
During the introduction of the starting lineups for the respective teams, it was noted that the game marked the beginning of the sixth decade in which Ahart has coached the varsity boys’ basketball team at Roscoe Central School.
Ahart, who has won a total of 416 games and was inducted into the Basketball Coaches Association of New York (BCANY) Hall of Fame last March, coached his first game for RCS back in November 1969. The contest was in Fallsburg and the Comets prevailed over the Blue Devils.