The first quarter saw a lot of emotion in a game where it was expected. Both teams started off sloppy, but it was the Riders who were able to take advantage by dominating the offensive boards. With the lead already in hand, Derick Horn hit a fadeaway with three seconds on the clock to extend the Riders’ lead to 8.
The second quarter played out very much like the first, with both teams struggling to find their groove. Hudson started to lean on the play of big man Jacori Anderson, who scored six first-half points to cut the Riders’ lead down to 6.
Coming out of the half, the teams traded hoops, and it looked like Hudson could struggle to close the gap. But with four minutes, left the Bluehawks started to click and began knocking down shots. Hudson went on a 5-0 run to slice the lead to 1 before Anderson converted a hoop and free throw with just three seconds on the clock to give Hudson just their second lead of the game heading to the fourth quarter.
In the fourth, Hudson scored seven of the first nine points in the quarter before the trio of Riders stepped up. Down by 7, Shattenkirk knocked down a three-pointer, and Horn followed that with a free throw. Justin Brantley hit a three for Hudson, but Ingham responded with one of his own. Hudson scored three more points, and it looked like the Riders were in trouble again. Shattenkirk and Ingham sandwiched two free throws apiece between an Anderson hoop. On the next two possessions, Shattenkirk took over scoring on a floater and a pull-up jumper to tie the game at 44 with just 2:18 left.
After a Bluehawks timeout, Chris Larm forced a jump ball giving it back the Riders. Shattenkirk drew a foul and made both free throws to reclaim the lead for ICC. James Swanigan responded on the other end scoring for Hudson, but that would be their last hoop of the game. After being held scoreless through the first three quarters, Ben Gevlin came in and nailed a three-pointer in the corner after a fumbled inbounds play. After getting the ball back, the Riders called a timeout with 9 seconds on the shot clock and drew up a play. The play saw Ingham inbound to Gevlin in the corner, who rose up and knocked down a fall-away three-pointer, with a defender in his face, to seal the win for ICC.
The Riders now 1-0 in the league, 1-1 overall, return to action on Friday heading to Taconic Hills, while Hudson falls to 0-1 and will host Chatham on Friday. Shattenkirk led the way for the Riders scoring a game-high 17 points, while Ingham added 11 in the win. Larm scored 8, while Gevlin and Horn added 6 apiece. Hudson saw Anderson pour in 14 big points, while Brantley scored 8, and Barry King and Darien Moore added 7 each.
