Cougars Force Overtime in Season Finale
Last Second Three-Pointer not Quite Enough
(Holyoke, MA) - The HCC men's basketball team played their final game of the 2017-18 season this past Tuesday evening when they hosted Ben Franklin Institute of Technology. The Cougars sank a three-pointer with less than five seconds to play in regulation to tie the score at 65 and send the game into overtime. A Holyoke victory was not meant to be as the extra frame saw the Cougars fall in heartbreaking fashion by a 75-69 final score.
Jovan Rivera (Amherst, MA / Amherst HS) drained the clutch three-pointer late in regulation to help the Cougars reach the overtime period. Rivera hit a trio of three-point shots in the contest and tallied ten total points. Three HCC players registered a double-double in the game with the Cougars' lone sophomore player Darren Fair (Holyoke, MA / Holyoke HS) leading the way. Fair scored 21 points in the match-up while collecting 14 rebounds. Tyrell Jackson (Amherst, MA / MacDuffie School) put up 18 points and snagged ten rebounds. In addition, Jackson had seven assists in the contest. Robert "Big Country" Supinski (Chicopee, MA / Chicopee HS) scored 16 points and grabbed 20 rebounds for Holyoke. Supinski was 6 of 9 from the free-throw line. John Toombs (Chicopee, MA / Commerce HS) led the Cougars in steals and added five assists.
The Cougars finish the 2017-18 campaign with an overall record of 2-19 and a regional record of 2-15. The players take a number of positives from the season, learning along the way to work hard and work together as team. The Cougars stayed competitive all year while playing against so many strong opponents. The team will wrap up the season with an enjoyable awards banquet and dinner to be held on HCC's main campus next week.
Photos: (Main) Tyrell Jackson dribbles the ball during Tuesday's game as Jovan Rivera looks to get open. (Thumbnail) Darren Fair takes a free throw during Tuesday's finale.
