Great games and convincing performances from Timmy Zapisek and Nick Papa weren’t enough when Fayetteville-Manlius visited Corcoran, as they were defeated 62-51.
Going into the game, F-M was looking to finish the season strong and expected themselves to begin to do that against Corcoran, the team that they beat for their first win of the season.
But the Hornets struggled from the start despite getting a lot of effort from Zapisek and Papa, who are both playing for something that will be important to them in the future.
Their struggles ignited Corcoran and their spectators, who were consistently loud throughout the game. The home crowd filled the gymnasium with energy and supported their team, which made it difficult for F-M to make any sort of run.
Corcoran’s players also exploited each of F-M’s minor mishap with their very balanced scoring. They had a junior with eight points, two athletes with nine points, and then a pair of their six-footers broke into double-figures, including Ryan Kisselstien, who also grasped 16 rebounds.
They tried, though. The Hornets found a way to make a run in the third quarter after they were down 33-24 at halftime, but, they ended up breaking even in the quarter and then the fourth frame saw F-M get outscored 15-13.
Zapisek tried to give the Hornets momentum by mixing it up a bit. He has lived at the three-point line at times this season, but, only hit one shot from long range in the game. The senior finish the game with a season-high 27 points.
Papa had a good game and continues to give head coach Jason Dudzinski a reason to look forward to next season. He is a true point guard and has good vision of the floor, but, more importantly, he isn’t afraid to be vocal and wants to be a leader.
As we have seen throughout the season, Dudzinski likes to emphasize and knows how important leadership is. Papa has proven that he has the ability to lead by example, something that is important for him to have heading into his senior season.
