QUINTIN JAMES
Special to The Leader
The Blue Devils finished out their season by losing to both Oneonta and New Paltz on the road in blowout fashion. Fredonia lost its last two games and failed to make the playoffs this season.
For most of the season, the Blue Devils were a surprise team and could have been a good Cinderella story of a young team making the playoffs; however, they choked in the final portion of the season and failed to make the playoffs for a second straight season.
The Blue Devils entered the weekend one game out from securing the last playoff spot. With two tough road games coming up, the Devils could have squeezed in and would have had a lot of momentum heading into the playoffs.
Fredonia went on the road Friday to play a game against Oneonta, who is over .500 on the year. The Devils came out flat, and against a team fighting for a playoff berth, they stood no chance. The Blue Devils were down 49-23 at the half and only shot 26 percent for the game.
When a team shoots 26 percent in a game, it usually doesn’t win games, especially against a team shooting 50 percent and 61 percent from three-point land. Sabrina Macaulay led the Blue Devils with nine points and six rebounds; the stat sheet for Fredonia which, to say the least, was not pretty.
The Blue Devils had to recover fast because they had to play their last game of the season the next day against New Paltz. Fredonia, again, couldn’t hit the bottom of the net and fell 68-46.
New Paltz started the game on a 9-0 run and led at the half 32-19. A second half of a back to back is always hard, especially when one is playing two good teams in the playoff picture.
The Blue Devils, for the second straight game, shot below 30 percent from the field. They shot 26 percent from the field and a woeful 18 percent from three.
New Paltz didn’t shoot the lights out either (34 percent from the field, 33 percent from three), but it wasn’t hard when their opponent couldn’t hit their shots on a consistent basis.
For seniors Kaylyn Billups and Marissa Cussins, they played their last games in a Blue Devils uniform Saturday, but New Paltz played a better game, and now the Devils have the off-season to get better and recoup for next season.
Jacque Law led the Blue Devils with 10 points and three rebounds, while Alexis Cheatham had eight points, but 3-17 shooting. Now the Blue Devils have to get better and get the recruits in so next year they will be prepared for the season and hopefully return to the playoffs.