#2 Fishburne postgrad basketball breezes past New River, 86-60

Second-ranked Fishburne came out of the gate a little slow, but the Caissons went on a scoring burst spanning the halftime break en route to posting an easy 86-60 win over New River Community College.

“They played harder than us for a lot of the game, but we were able to do what we needed to do,” said Lamell Washington, a Maryland-Baltimore County recruit who was one of three FMS players in double figures with 11 points.

Fishburne (24-5) led just 21-16 at the 8:13 mark of the first half when coach Ed Huckaby inserted his normal starting five into the game to try to get a spark, and it worked. The starters ignited a quick 12-2 run punctuated by a Mo Sallah (Mount St. Mary’s) dunk that made it 33-18 Fishburne at the 3:56 mark.

A Garrett Collins three at the buzzer extended the lead to 49-28 at the half. Fishburne then came out of the break on an 11-3 run to lead 60-31 lead at the 16:15 mark on a layup by James Rucker.

Fishburne now turns its attention to the Hargrave Invitational. The Caissons take on Fork Union on Friday and host Hargrave on Saturday.

Then the focus shifts to the National Prep Championships next week as the third overall seed.

“This team is the best team in the country, and we have a chance to prove that next week,” Huckaby said. “We have two big tests coming up this weekend in Fork Union and Hargrave. The two different styles will be the biggest challenge, with Fork Union’s deliberate pace and Hargrave’s up-and-down pace. But that will get us ready for the national tournament next week, and our goal is to come back to Waynesboro with the national championship.”