Preview: Cooperstown Hawkeyes vs. Poland Tornadoes
The Cooperstown Hawkeyes will head out on the road to take on the Poland Tornadoes at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Cooperstown has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last four games.
You can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Cooperstown's strategy against Morrisville-Eaton on Tuesday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Cooperstown blew Morrisville-Eaton out of the water with a 74-37 final score. Given Cooperstown's advantage in MaxPreps' New York basketball rankings (they are ranked 340th, while Morrisville-Eaton is ranked 687th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Cooperstown's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Brody Murdock, who scored 28 points along with six rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Murdock has scored all season. Cooper Bradley was another key contributor, almost dropping a double-double on 14 points and nine rebounds.
Meanwhile, Poland's recent rough patch got a bit rougher back in January after their fourth straight defeat. They fell 56-48 to Hamilton.
Cooperstown's win bumped their record up to 11-8. As for Poland, they now have a losing record at 3-4.
Cooperstown strolled past Poland when the teams last played back in December of 2023 by a score of 63-47. The rematch might be a little tougher for Cooperstown since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
