ONEONTA, N.Y. - Senior Xavier Hill (Johnson City, NY/Johnson City) netted a single-game program record 43 points to help the Oneonta men's basketball team to a 100-87 win over Hartwick in the annual "Battle of the Hills" game. The Red Dragons pick up their first win of the season and move to 1-0 overall, while the Hawks fall to 0-2.
"Tonight was a really hard-fought game. We have to give credit to Hartwick, as those guys battled all game and we had trouble guarding them," said head coach Cameron Conover. "We kept fighting and fortunately we made some big shots at key times. We are happy with the win, but the guys in our locker room know we have to get better defensively."
The first half remained close, and Hartwick tied 17-17 following a triple from Jaden Carter at 13:17. Hill converted an inside layup to spur an 8-0 run to take a 25-17 lead, but the Hawks responded with six unanswered points to cut the lead to two.
Hartwick kept the score within single digits, but a jumper and a three-pointer by freshman Cam LaClair (Selkirk, NY/Bethlehem) pushed Oneonta ahead 39-29 with 4:34 left in the half. Hill scored seven straight points to give the Red Dragons a 46-33 lead before Hartwick went on a 4-0 run. Hill drained a triple at 2:01 to make it 49-37, but Hartwick's Joey McLaurin responded with a triple to bring the game back within single digits. Senior Caleb Brown (Brooklyn, NY/Uncommon Charter) scored inside before a pair of Hawks' free throws from Brian Bonin cut the lead to 51-42 at the half.
Baskets from senior Zyeir Lawrence (Oneonta, NY/Oneonta) and Hill gave Oneonta an 11-point lead. Hartwick responded with an 8-0 span to make it 57-54 at 15:36. Hill had back-to-back layups and a triple from junior Elijah Castillo (Bronx, NY/St. Raymonds) pushed Oneonta up 64-54. Oneonta held a double-digit lead until Tarrell Cumberbatch and Mike Gitz scored to bring the score within six points.
Oneonta pulled away again, with Hill hitting a trey at 6:02 to make it 87-74. He then closed out the game with two layups to secure the win.
Hill shot 15-for-24 from the field and was 5-of-7 from three-point range. He added 18 rebounds. Castillo finished with 16 points, five assists, and three rebounds. Brown added 12 points off the bench, while freshman Shea Barber (Wells Bridge, NY/Unatego) scored 10. Freshman Sam Booth (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna) grabbed seven boards, and junior Tyler Harts (Queens, NY/Sewanaka) dished out five assists.
McLaurin led Hartwick with 23 points, while Gitz added 18 points and four rebounds. Bonin finished with 11 points and four assists.
Oneonta outrebounded Hartwick 47-19.
Oneonta next hosts the Michael A. Freilich Tip-Off Tournament from Nov. 16-17. The Red Dragons play Elmira on Saturday at 7 p.m.
