Carson Murphy got hot in the second half and Mohawk closed with a 9-1 run to beat previously undefeated Frankfort-Schuyler 41-35 Thursday in the championship game for Herkimer County Community College’s nine-team scholastic summer league.
After scoring just 11 points in the first 20-minute half of running time, Mohawk picked up its pace. Murphy hit five three-pointers in the second half and scored 19 of his game-high 21 points after the intermission. Corbin Woodruff added eight points with six coming in the final 6 1/2 minutes.
Murphy scored 11 of the first 13 Mohawk points in the second half and the Mohicans swung an 18-11 deficit to a 24-21 lead in less than six minutes. Mohawk took the lead for the first time at 22-20 on a three-point shot by Murphy and the lead would change hands just two more times. Murphy’s final three-pointer put the Mohicans up 30-24 in the middle of the second half but Frankfort-Schuyler came back with six straight points to tie the game and took its last lead at 34-32 on a pair of foul shots by John Sparagna.
Murphy put up another three-point shot the next time down the floor and missed but Woodruff was positioned for an uncontested putback. One minute later, Murphy drove through the Frankfort-Schuyler defense for the layup that put Mohawk ahead to stay with 3:28 left to play.
Frankfort-Schuyler went nine minutes without a field goal to end the game. The Maroon Knights stayed close by outscoring the Mohicans 13-2 from the foul line. The largest Frankfort-Schuyler lead was nine points late in the first half.
Sparagna and Mike Tomaino each scored six points for Frankfort-Schuyler.
It was another tough ending to the summer season for Frankfort-Schuyler which was beaten in overtime by eventual champion Dolgeville in last year’s semifinals.
Compiled From Times Staff Reports
