GRAHAMSVILLE — After last year’s first round sections exit on the road, the Tri-Valley Bears were excited to get a second shot at the Hawks of Rhinebeck who ended their post season hopes, now at home in front of all of their supporters.

The game started off fast paced as both teams came out pushing the tempo trying to get the upper hand on the other. Both clubs were playing physically, setting the tone for a hard-fought game with nothing easy at the basket. 

Even with the Bears trailing 14-9 at the end of the first, the game was looking promising for the Bears with four of their five starters getting on the board in the first quarter. 

The second quarter was at a much slower pace with both teams putting extra emphasis on the defensive game in the half court setting trying to space both clubs out who were both running zone type defenses. 

The Bears who were trailing 14-9 in the first were only able to net four points in the second while the Hawks were able to extend their lead, netting nine points and heading into the half with a 10-point lead at 23-13. 

With 16 minutes remaining in the game, Tri-Valley knew if they were going to give themselves a chance to win, it was now. After a well-executed play to come out of the break and put the Hawks on the board first, the Bears were clicking on all cylinders and showing they would not go down without a fight. 

The Bears continued to get inside the paint as well as several trips at the stripe to give life to the gym and get the crowd back on their feet. With Rhinebeck showing signs of fatigue and going to their bench, Tri-Valley pushed and pushed to try and cut the lead to under 10. However, with two back-to-back layups to finish the quarter off, the Hawks were able to get the lead back to double digits, leading 42-29. 

With the final eight minutes of the game officially underway, the Bears came out clawing away at the lead with a huge 3 to start the quarter by Josh Fanslau, who led the Bears with 15 points in the contest. Directly after his big 3 to start the quarter, Josh came right back down and was able to get a steal and charge down the court where he was fouled and hit 1 of 2 extra points bringing the Bears within single digits trailing 42-33 with more than enough time to stage a comeback win.

With the clock winding down, and Tri-Valley having to foul to keep hope alive, Rhinebeck was able to capitalize on the free throws rewarded and end the game with a score of 57-43. 

Josh Fanslau led all scores for the Bears with 15 points, 11 of those points coming in the fourth quarter. Josh was accompanied by Boe Mueller, Misha Khodakovski, Matt Fanslau and Austin Swett who had eight, seven, six and four points for the Bears. 

The Hawks were led by Grady Pietrus, who led all scorers with 19.