Columbia-Greene Community College won their own Goldberg Classic this past weekend, defeating Word of Life 63-59 on Saturday before defeating Division II JUCO Orange County Community College on Sunday 58-56 to improve to 2-1 on the season.
In the first round, the Twins squared off with Word of Life Bible Institute (WOLBI) and had to grind out a tough win. WOLBI started off burying three-pointers as Logan Creech knocked down four triples in the first eight minutes, and the Twins fell behind by eight. But as the half progressed, the Twins got hot. Eli Tillerson was hitting three-pointers and opening up the floor for other players to find their space. Kamal Ramos was doing work in the post, while Robert Dunn scored and dished. The Twins went into halftime up 33-22 after a dominating 23-2 eleven-minute stretch in the first half.
The second half started much the way of the first. WOLBI started off hot, and the Twins struggled to find the hoop. The game tightened, and the teams began trading hoops. With 13 minutes left in the second half, WOLBI went on a 7-0 run to take a 42-41 lead. The teams traded more baskets, and down by one, Dunn came through in a big way for the Twins. First he scored on a driving layup to put his team back up one. Then he forced a travel on the defensive end. Back on offense, Dunn hit a pull-up jumper before forcing another travel on defense as the Twins extended their lead to three.
The teams continued to trade hoops, but the Twins had already taken the lead, and with the help of Dunn who scored four points in the final two minutes, they would never relinquish it. Tillerson led the way for the Twins with a dominating perimeter performance, scoring 30 points on 7 of 11 three-point shooting. Big man Kamal Ramos added 9 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 steals in the win. It’s not often a team can let their opponents hit nearly half of their shots from beyond the arc while only making 32 percent of their shots from the field and still come away with a win, but the Twins showed grit and heart in pulling off the win. Coach Kevin DeVantier walked away from the first game disappointed, but his team still had a shot at the tourney crown. “I was not happy with our overall effort” DeVantier said.
Going into the finals against Orange County, a junior college team that can give scholarships, the Twins knew they’d have their hands full—especially after a disappointing performance in their opening game. The Twins came out hot and shocked Orange taking an early lead and holding on through the first half. Down the stretch, the Twins made some mistakes but never let up on the defensive end of the floor. Orange County had a shot to take the lead at the end, but again the Twins came through with a crucial stop.
Kamal Ramos led the way in the win with 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Jamel Hicks had 9 points and 9 rebounds. “That’s a very solid win for us, with Orange County being a Division II scholarship program,” said Coach Kevin DeVantier. “We have a lot of work ahead of us but are getting better as a team each game.”
Ramos was named the Most Valuable Player of the Goldberg Classic, while Eli Tillerson was named to the All Tournament Team for the Twins. Awaiting C-GCC is preseason ranked Hudson Valley Community College, which hasn’t lost a regular season game in two seasons. That game is scheduled for Thursday at HVCC. On Saturday, the Twins travel to play preseason Honorable Mention Mohawk Valley Community College.
Jimmy Boyles scores downlow
CGCC moves the ball around setting up Ramos downlow.
