Spartans lose to Hunter-Tannersville in finals

Florida - Tournament host Hunter-Tannersville pushed its undefeated record to 9-0 as they topped the Seward Spartans 60-56 in the championship game. To get to that final game the Spartans downed Taconic Hills 50-45 last Tuesday. It wasn’t easy. The Spartans fell behind 14-0 at the start and were still down 25-20 at half-time. With five minutes left in the game Florida still trailed by eight points. The Spartans kept chipping away, however, and with two minutes left to play Brenden Myers basket and foul shot put Florida ahead 43-42. After a hectic final two minutes the Spartans emerged with the 50-45 win and a spot in the championship game. Bryan Folkl led the Spartan scoring with 15 points, Saddam Sahmanovic tallied 12 and Myers finished with 11. That championship game on Thursday was also a tough game, but it didn’t have the happy ending for Florida as they were edged 60-56. This one started out well. Florida outscored Hunter-Tannersville 22-13 in the first quarter, but then were outscored themselves in the second quarter by that same 22-13 margin, leaving the game tied at 35 at half-time. The second half was very tight as the lead exchanged hands several times. At the very end the Spartans fell behind, were forced to foul, and the upstate team was able to keep their unbeaten streak intact. Myers had a team-high 18 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. Folkl scored 13 and Jeremy Harter and Sahmanovic contributed 11 apiece. The tournament was a good warm up for the 5-3 Spartans. League competition kicks in with the new year.