SHERBURNE – A late fourth quarter surge was not enough for Sherburne-Earleville as they succumbed to Canastota by a score line of 54-49 last night, Jan. 6.

In an exhilarating game, full of end-to-end action, both sides put in terrific performances.

Down by 10 with 2:20 left in the fourth quarter, S-E staged a fantastic comeback to come within just one point, 50-49, with 38 seconds left. However, they could not manage to complete the epic comeback as two missed field goal attempts led to 5 successive free throws for Canastota, who finished the night the victors.

“It was a great high school basketball game. There’s always going to be winners and losers. Tonight it just wasn’t our turn,” said Marauders head coach Kevin Vibbard.

Canastota had the better of the first half action. Number 25, Zarin Martin, had six of Canastota’s 12 points in the first quarter.

It was clear that the Marauders were not going to go down without a fight as number 14, Ian Fleming, began to find his stride, hitting two of his five three pointers in the second quarter. He would finish as S-E’s top scorer on the night, netting 15 points. Canastota led at the half-time break 23-17.

The Marauders came out of the dressing room a different team after the half. They looked much more enthusiastic and energized as they began to claw back at the six point deficit. The much-improved defense held Canastota to 11 points in the third as their offense managed to break out for 16 points, cutting the Hawks lead to a mere point.

Despite the raucous home crowd support, the Marauders just couldn’t seal the deal. The loss brings their overall record to 7-2 on the season.

“I think we showed a lot of character coming back in the game. We were down by 10 and the kids didn’t give up. We had a couple of chances to tie it but tonight the shots just didn’t go our way,” said Vibbard.

Next up for S-E is Adirondack at home next Friday night, Jan. 8.

Vibbard explained, “We just need to keep going. It’s a long season. You can’t get too high after a big win or you can’t get too low after a loss. It’s a marathon, it’s not a sprint and we try to stay even keel and keep going. That’s the key.”

S-E: M. Hull, 2 3-6-7; D. Seymour, 6 0-0-14; I. Fleming, 5 0-0-15; G. Giroux, 2 3-4-7; S. Tuttle, 3 0-0-6;

Totals: 18 6-10-49

Can: J. Cellamare, 1 0-1-2; T. Watts, 1 0-0-2; E. Books, 4 1-1-9; J. Purdy, 6 2-4-14; Z. Martin, 4 0-0-8; J. Evans, 2 0-0-4; E. Blacks, 6 3-4-15;

Totals: 24 6-10-54

S-E: 9 8 16 16 – 49

Can: 12 11 11 20 – 54

Three-point goals: (S-E) Fleming 5, Seymour 2. (C) (none).