It's hard to turn regular season success into postseason wins, a fact Cortland can now relate to. They lost to the Utica Academy of Science Atoms at home by a 55-41 margin on Friday. While the Purple Tigers didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Atoms 9-4 in the first quarter.
Cortland's defeat came despite a true team effort with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Damauri Bell, who posted seven points. Bell continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. Tyler Thomas was another key player, putting up five points.
Even though they lost, Cortland was working as a unit and finished the game with 17 assists. They racked up six more assists than Utica Academy of Science's also-impressive total of 11.
Akol Machteng was his usual excellent self, almost dropping a double-double with 16 points and nine boards for Utica Academy of Science. The matchup was Machteng's 12th in a row with at least 16 points. Another player making a difference was Amari Berkley, who went 5-for-11 to rack up 15 points and six assists.
Cortland's loss dropped their record down to 15-6. As for Utica Academy of Science, they have been performing well recently as they've won eight of their last ten games. That's provided a nice bump to their 13-7 record this season.
Cortland does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Utica Academy of Science, they will venture away from home to face off against Bishop Grimes at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Utica Academy of Science is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 63.8 points per game this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
