---

 

November 15, 2008

 

Erie 94

North Country 64

 

SARANAC LAKE-- For thirty minutes the North Country Community College men's basketball team hung tough with #18 Division two nationally ranked Erie Community College. Ultimately size, speed and execution won out as the Kats rolled to a 94-64 victory in the opening round of the Saints Classic on Saturday evening. "Their pressure finally wore us down," said North Country coach Chad Ladue. "They were very quick and their length gave us trouble." Ikyaator Msoo paced Erie with a game high 22 points, John Groover and Otis Barker had 18 and 14 points respectively while Tola Lawal had 12 and T.J. Idris chipped in with 10. Asa Ellis (Queens, New York) came off the bench to lead the Saints in scoring with 12 points and Mike Cowart (Orlando, Florida) added 11. North Country trailed 46-36 at the half and cut in to the ECC lead early in the second stanza. Unfortunately NCCC withered under Erie's trapping defense and the deficit quickly ballooned to over 20 points. "Erie is an outstanding team and definitely has earned their national ranking," said Ladue. "I felt it was good for our team to play this level of competition. This game will help us improve when we go back to Region III, Division III play." North Country (1-5) returns to action tomorrow afternoon when they take on Word of Life Bible Institue in the consolation game beginning at noon. Meanwhile Erie (5-1) will meet up with league rival Mercyhurst-Northeast in the 2 p.m. championship game.

 

  

 November 9, 2008

North Country            66

Fulton-Montgomery  62

 

 

 

 

 

 

November 6, 2008    Saranac Lake, NY
Clinton               87

North Country  79

SARANAC LAKE -- Clinton Community College jumped out to a big lead then held on for a 87-79 victory over North Country Community College in Region III men's basketball on Tuesday evening. The Cougars were paced by Steve Thomas with a game high 22 points while Anthony Hodge and Pat O'Brien added 19 and 13 points respectively. Ray Arnold also chipped in with 10.

 

 

 

 

November 4, 2008   Watertown, NY

Jefferson 77
North Country 50

 

It really came down to we couldn't throw it in the ocean tonight." LaDue said the Saints (0-3) also need to work on playing defense without fouling. Jefferson attempted 47 foul shots, while North Country took just 24.

The Saints hostClinton Community Collegeon Thursday at 7 p.m.

 

Men's Basketball - News

 

November 2, 2008           Troy, New York

 

Schenectady 85

North Country 75

 

TROY --The North Country Community College Men's Basketball team went down to defeat for the second day in a row falling to Schenectady C.C. 85-75 in the consolation game of the Viking Club Classic at Hudson Fall CC.  

    

 

November 1, 2008           Troy, New York

 

Hudson Valley 87

North Country 65

 

TROY -- The North Country Community College Men's Basketball team started their 2008-2009 campaign off on a down note on Saturday evening falling to nationally ranked #17 Hudson Valley 87-65 in the opening round of the Viking Club Classic.

 

The Vikings jumped out to a 48-27 halftime lead and never looked back, propelling them to the championship game versus Broome on Sunday at 6 p.m. Austin Michaud and Pat Barnes paced HVCC with 20 and 15 points respectively while Ramel Alexander and Pat Lanoue chipped in with 13 and 12. Tony Sparkman (Lake Worth, Florida) paced the Saints with a team high 11 points.

 

"Hudson Valley played tremendous team defense,” said North Country coach Chad Ladue.  "They kept us on the perimeter and forced us in to several contested shots.  We have several freshmen.  This will be a valuable learning experience that we will use to help us grow in to a complete team."

 

North Country returns to action tomorrow afternoon when they take on Schenectady C.C. in the consolation game.  Tip off is slated for 4 p.m. at the McDonough Sports Complex on the campus of Hudson Valley Community College.

February 22, 2008

North Country 92, Schenectady 80

 

SCHENECTADY -- North Country Community College's season ended one day sooner than expected; nevertheless, it ended on a winning note. The Saints led from start to finish Friday night in taking care of Schenectady Community College 92-80 in men's basketball. NCCC (12-16) was scheduled to play Columbia-Greene today in season finale; however, the Twins cancelled the contest.

 

"We found out today (Friday)," NCCC Coach Chad LaDue said. "I'm a little disappointed, but I'm happy the season ended with a win."

 

NCCC' s lead ranged from 6 to 12 points Friday with Nathaniel Pollard (Holyoke, Mass.) scoring 21 points and Ben Walker (New Smyrna Beach, Florida), 19, for the Saints. John Reed (Ogdensburg, N.Y.) chipped in with 16 to go with 14 rebounds and Mike Cowart (Orlando, Florida) and Dominic Mungen (Holly Hill, Florida) each netted 10 to give NCCC five men in double figures.

 

"I thought we shared the ball well tonight; we made that extra pass," LaDue added.

 

Cody Lawson led Schenectady with 25 points. Despite the losing record, LaDue is encouraged heading into the offseason.

 

"We're a very young team. Six out of the eight who play in rotation will be back next year. That's 64 points per game coming back," he said.

 

NCCC 92, Schenectady CC 80

 

Schenectady CC (80)

Franklin 2-6-10, Lawson 10-2-25, Wells 2-2-6, Bojarczuk 0-2-2, Hook 8-0-17, Popp 2-0-4, Downey 8-0-16. Totals 28-4-12/15-80.

 

North Country CC (92)

Cowart 4-1-10, Patterson 2-0-4, Walker 8-0-19, Mungen 4-2-10, Reed 7-2-16, Geary 3-2-8, Pollard 8-2-21, Bond 1-0-2, Cameron 0-0-0, Knoble 0-2-2, Hozley 0-0-0. Totals 37-11-92.

 

3-point goals: SCC (4) Lawson 3, Hook. NCCC (7) Cowart, Walker 3, Pollard 3.

 

Halftime: NCCC, 44-39.

February 17, 2008

FLCC 88, North Country 77

 

CANANDAIGUA -- Finger Lakes Community College took an early lead Sunday afternoon and held it the rest of the way in an 88-77 decision over North Country Community College in men's basketball. FLCC held a 47-36 lead at the half.

 

"They jumped out on us early," said North Country C.C. head coach Chad LaDue. "They were up between six and 12 points pretty much the whole game. We did get to within five with four minutes to go and had a couple of opportunities to get closer."

 

Brandon Williams paced the Lakers with 23 points and was followed by Jordan Koch with 17 and Jonnah Whipple with 13.

 

The Saints placed four players in double figures, with John Reed (Ogdensburg, N.Y.) leading the way with 18. Dominic Mungen (Holly Hill, Florida) added 12, Keon Patterson (Daytona Beach, Florida) 11 and Nathaniel Pollard (Holyoke, Mass.), 10.

 

"This was our ninth overnight weekend of the season," LaDue said.

 

North Country C.C. hits the road again this coming weekend at Schenectady Community College on Friday and Columbia-Greene Community College on Saturday.

 

North Country C.C. (77)

Walker 2-2-8, Cowart 2-4-9, Patterson 4-3-11, Pollard 4-0-10, Geary 2-2-7, Reed 8-2-18, Mungen 6-0-12, Bond 1-0-2. Totals: 29-13-77

 

Finger Lakes (88)

Koch 7-0-17, Williams 11-0-23, Miller 1-0-2, Wright 1-0-2, Shepard 1-0-2, Lamour 1-0-2, Whipple 6-0-13, Prentice 3-0-6, Denniston 4-0-8, Mazzochi 3-1-8, Burroughs 2-1-5. Totals: 40-2-88.

 

3-point goals: North Country C.C. (6) Walker 2, Pollard 2, Cowart, Geary. Finger Lakes C.C. (6) Koch 3, Williams, Whipple,Mazzochi.

 

Halftime: Finger Lakes C.C., 47-36.

February 16, 2008

Tompkins-Cortland 100, North Country 90

 

DRYDEN -- Former Peru Indians standout Adam Prue hit a three-point basket with 9:52 left in the half to push Tompkins Cortland past North Country, 100-90 in men's college basketball. Both teams had strong runs throughout the first half as North Country went up 11-3 early. The Saints pushed the lead to 15 points, but Tompkins Cortland climbed their way back.

 

Prue who finished with 15 points hit one of his three trifecta's to start an eight point run for the Panthers. The two teams exchanged baskets and were tied at 39-all late in the first half. Tompkins Cortland took their first lead 44-43, but Mike Cowart drained a three-point basket to take the lead, 46-44 into halftime.

 

"We had good ball pressure in the first half," Chad LaDue said. "Ben Walker (New Smyrna Beach, Florida)  played outstanding. If it wasn't for him we probably would have been behind going in to the locker room."

 

Walker had 16 of his game high 30 points in the first half. He also had four steals on the night.

 

The Saints came out of the locker room and went on a 8-0 run to start the second half and pushed the lead to as much as 10. The Panthers pulled to within one point when Tompkins Cortland went on a 7-0 run, and than less than a minute later tied the game up at 62-all. North Country went on a 6-0 run after the game was tied up. Prue's three-point basket put the Panthers up 73-72, and after that Tompkins Cortland never relinquished the lead.

 

"Offensively we played great," LaDue said. "Defensively it is hard giving up a 100 points."

 

Dominic Mungen (Holly Hill, Florida) added 20 points and seven boards, John Reed (Ogdensburg, N.Y.) chipped in with 13 points and seven rebounds and Keon Patterson (Daytona Beach, Florida) had a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds.

 

"Mungen and Patterson were spectacular today," LaDue said. "Walker played one of his best games."

 

Chris Garcia had 26 points to lead the Panthers.

 

North Country (90)

Walker 10-6-30, Cowart 4-0-9, Patterson 5-3-13, Reed 5-2-13, Mungen 8-4-20, Pollard 1-0-2, Geary 1-0-3, Bond 0-0-0. Totals: 34-15-90.

 

Tompkins Cortland (100)

Mitchell 8-1-19, Anderson 3-7-14, Prue 5-2-15, Mann 8-2-20, Parker 1-0-2, Hrynko 1-0-2, Garcia 9-4-26, Wilbur 0-2-2, Thomas 0-0-0. Totals: 35-18-100.

 

3-point goals: NCCC (7) Walker 4, Cowart, Reed, Geary. TCCC (12) Mitchell 2, Anderson,Prue 3, Mann 2, Garcia 4.

 

Halftime: North Country 46-44

 

February 13, 2008

North Country 75, Clinton 72

 

SARANAC LAKE -- A frantic rally in the closing seconds gave North Country Community College a come-from-behind 75-72 victory over Clinton Community College in men's basketball Wednesday night.

 

"We were down by 12 points and I really thought our team showed a lot of character," said North Country C.C. head coach Chad LaDue. "Especially after being eliminated from the regional playoffs before this game. We fought and the seniors went out the right way.

 

"I've been coach here for six years and this is the first time we have swept Clinton in a season. It's a good rivalry and it was nice to get on a little roll."

 

The Cougars held a 70-66 lead with 50 seconds to go when John Reed (Ogdensburg, N.Y.) hit a three-pointer to pull the Saints to within one. North Country C.C. then made a steal and Nathaniel Pollard (Holyoke, Mass.), following a timeout, banked in an eight-footer to give the hosts a 71-70 advantage.

 

North Country C.C., however, fouled on the inbounds pass and Steven Thomas hit two free throws to put the Cougars back on top, 72-71.

 

But, with eight seconds left, Pollard put the hosts in front, 73-72, with a two-pointer. Then, following a steal on a deflected pass, Ben Walker's (New Smyrna Beach, Florida) basket gave the Saints a three-point advantage.

 

Clinton C.C. wasn't able to get a good shot off as time expired.

 

"They kept a nine-point lead for quite a while in the second half and it was up to 12 with eight minutes to go," said LaDue. "We went to a full-court press and began to chip away, chip away. We got close, but could never break through until near the end."

 

The Cougars held a 37-32 lead at the half.

 

"They got out early and maintained a six- to eight-point lead for a while," said LaDue. "We got it to within two, but (Kyle) Stark made a three-point play to give them a five-point halftime lead."

 

Walker led the Saints with 16 points, while Reed added 13 and both Pollard and Mike Cowart (Orlando, Florida), 12 apiece.

 

North Country C.C. connected on 11 three-pointers, with Reed leading the way with three.

 

"Every guy that played for us hit key shots," LaDue said. "Pollard and Cowart came up big, but Reed's three that pulled us to within one was real big.

 

"We had eight of our 11 three-pointers in the second half."

 

Thomas paced the Cougars with 22 points, including 13 from the foul line. Stark was close behind with 21 and Sairron Miller added 16.

 

"Thomas and Stark played outstanding for them," LaDue said. "We were fortunate to win because of our pressure defense.

 

"It was a great college atmosphere and I was very happy for our seniors (Walker, Reed, Ricky Knoble (Saranac Lake, N.Y.) and Anthony Cameron (Brooklyn, N.Y.)."

 

North Country C.C. 75, Clinton C.C. 72

 

Clinton C.C. (72)

Bouyea 2-3-7, Thomas 4-13-22, Miller 7-0-16, Stark 8-5-21, Whittaker 3-0-6, Wadas 0-0-0. Totals: 24-21-72.

 

North Country C.C. (75)

Geary 1-1-4, Cameron 0-0-0, Walker 6-2-16, Knoble 0-0-0, Reed 4-2-13, Cowart 5-0-12, Patterson 4-0-9, Pollard 5-0-12, Mungeon 3-0-6, Bond 1-1-3. Totals: 29-6-75.

 

3-point goals: Clinton C.C. (3) Miller 2, Thomas. North Country C.C. (11) Reed 3, Walker 2, Cowart 2, Pollard 2, Patterson, Geary.

 

Halftime: Clinton C.C., 37-32.

 

 

February 10, 2008

Onondaga 87,  North Country 70 

 

SYRACUSE -- The North Country Community College men's basketball team was eliminated from regional consideration with an 87-70 loss at Onondaga Community College on Sunday.

 

Shane Williams tossed in a game-high 21 points and led four Lazers in double figures.

 

John Reed (Ogdensburg, N.Y.) paced the Saints with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Dominic Mungen (Holly Hill, Florida) added 15 points, 11 rebounds and five blocked shots. Keon

Patterson (Daytona Beach, Florida) finished with 13 points and Ryan Geary (Ogdensburg, N.Y.) dished out six assists.

 

"Patterson played extremely well for us -- it was one of his best games," said North Country C.C. head coach Chad LaDue.

 

"It was a six-point game with 2:30 to go. The 17-point final margin was their biggest lead of the game."

 

Onondaga C.C. held a 48-39 lead at the half.

 

"They were in control pretty much all the way through," LaDue said.

 

"I thought we played hard, but we didn't take care of the basketball at times."

 

The Lazers outscored the Saints by just two, 31-29, from the field. Onondaga C.C., however, held a 19-8 advantage from the foul line.

 

"They were in the bonus early and we were in foul trouble," LaDue said.

 

The Saints are back on the court Wednesday when they host Clinton Community College. Game time is slated for 7 p.m.

 

North Country C.C. (70)

Cowart 4-0-9, Patterson 6-0-13, Walker 2-0-5, Mungen 6-3-15, Reed 8-0-16, Geary 1-3-5, Bond 0-0-0, Pollard 2-2-7, Cameron 0-0-0. Totals: 29-8-70.

 

Onondaga C.C. (87)

Byrne 0-3-3, Thomsen 4-0-11, Manley 0-2-2, Shelly 2-0-4, Kondra 2-2-6, Schrader 4-0-11, Williams 7-7-21, Barrett 4-1-9, Liedka 1-0-2, Vincent 6-4-16, Chapman 1-0-2. Totals: 31-19-87.

 

3-point goals: North Country C.C. (4) Cowart, Patterson, Walker, Pollard. Onondaga C.C. (6) Thomsen 3, Schrader 3.

 

Halftime: Onondaga C.C., 48-39.

 

 

February 6, 2008

North Country 73, Morrisville JV 51

 

MORRISVILLE -- Ben Walker (New Smyrna Beach, Florida) led three players in double figures with 16 points as North Country Community College defeated Morrisville Junior Varsity, 73-51, in men's basketball action.

 

The win was the second straight for the Saints (7-12 Region III), who improved to 10-13 overall.

 

The Saints jumped out to a 41-27 lead at the half and never looked back.

 

Dominic Mungen (Holly Hill, Florida) and Keon Patterson (Daytona Beach, Florida) also reached the double-digit mark for the Saints with 13 and 12 points respectively. Mungen also pulled down 11 rebounds.

 

"I thought we came out after a long bus ride and played with a lot of energy," North Country head coach Chad LaDue said. "We played smart, and every guy got minutes. I'm extremely pleased with the way we played."

 

Mike Cowart (Orlando, Florida) added nine points.

 

North Country 73, Morrisville, JV 51

 

North Country (73)

Cowart 3-1-9; Patterson 5-2-12; Walker 7-0-16; Mungen 6-1-13; Reed 3-0-6; Geary 2-2-7; Bond 1-0-2; Pollard 2-2-6; Cameron 0-0-0; Knoble 0-0-0; Hozley 1-0-2; Frederick 0-0-0. Totals: 25-5-8-73.

 

Morrisville, JV (51)

Francis 2-0-5; Keys 4-2-10; Smith 1-0-2; Colbert 1-0-2; Horn 2-0-5; Vandider 1-0-2; Noelle 2-2-6; Davis 0-1-1; Ovteng 1-0-2; Sourwine 1-0-2; Grant 2-0-4; VanDyke 1-0-3; Akither 2-1-7. Totals: 17-5-6-51.

 

3-point goals: NCCC (5) Cowart 2, Walker 2, Geary. Morrisville (5) Akither 2,Francis, Horn, VanDyke

 

Halftime: 41-27 North Country.

 

February 5, 2008

North Country 82, Adirondack 70

 

QUEENSBURY -- Ben Walker (New Smyrna Beach, Florida) scored a game-high 26 points as North Country Community College defeated Adirondack Community College 82-70 Tuesday night in men's junior-college basketball.

 

The Saints led 41-28 at halftime.

 

"We got off to a good start and played well defensively," North Country coach Chad LaDue said.

 

North Country (7-12, 9-13) extended its 13-point halftime lead to as much as 25 during the second half and maintained a 20-point lead until about 2:30 left in the half.

 

Keon Patterson (Daytona Beach, Florida) added 13 points, Dominic Mungen (Holly Hill, Florida) had 11 and Mike Cowart (Orlando, Florida) and John Reed (Ogdensburg, NY) added 10 points each for a balanced scoring attack.

 

Craig Robertson, Jr. had 18 to lead Adirondack.

 

North Country 82, Adirondack 70

 

NCCC (82)

Cowart 3-1-10; Patterson 5-3-13; Walker 10-2-26; Mungen 5-1-11; Reed 4-2-10; Geary 0-2-2; Bond 2-3-8; Pollard 0-0-0; Cameron 1-0-2; Noble 0-0-0; Hosley 0-0-0; Fredericks 0-0-0. Totals: 30-14-82.

 

ACC (70)

Sherwin 4-0-10; Dufford 4-1-10; Fish 0-0-0; Combs 5-5-16; Eddy 1-0-3; Robertson Jr. 4-10-18; Forlie 2-1-5; Nassivera 3-0-6; Snyder 1-0-2. Totals: 24-17-70.

 

3-point goals: NCCC (8): Cowart 3, Walker 4, Bond. ACC (5): Sherwin 2, Dufford, Combs, Eddy.

 

January 26, 2008

Broome 83, North Country 70

 

NIMMONSBURG -- The North Country Community College men's basketball team fought valiantly but were unable to over come a huge performance by Broome's Zach Huston as the Saints fell to the Hornets 83-70 Saturday afternoon in a Region III contest. Huston bounced back from early foul trouble and scored a season-high 31 points with 15 rebounds

 

"We had trouble containing him," North Country coach Chad Ladue said.  "We tried to get him in foul trouble by going inside to John Reed but Broome went to a zone defense in the second half to protect him." 

 

With Broome up by eight, Huston picked up his second foul with about seven minutes remaining in the first half. Huston then watched from the bench as the Saints rallied to take a 42-36 lead at halftime. Ben Walker (New Smyrna Beach, Florida) fueled the comeback when he stole the ball near half court and went to the rim for an emphatic dunk. On the next two possessions Walker hit back to back three's giving North Country a huge momentum lift heading in to the break.

 

In the second half North Country held the lead until the 10 minute mark before Broome took the lead at 60-59. The Saints were not done and kept it close until Rob Krowiak banged home a deep three pointer with just over a minute to play giving the Hornets a comfortable nine point lead.

 

"Broome did a great job on defense in the second half," said Ladue. "They limited Reed's touches in the paint and made it very difficult for us to get the ball to Walker."

 

Reed (Ogdensburg, New York) paced the Saints with 18 points while Dominic Mungen (Holly Hill, Florida) chipped in with 15. Three more Saints found their way to the double digit mark with Mike Cowart (Orlando, Florida) and Keon Patterson (Daytona Beach, Florida) contributing 14 and 12 points respectively. Walker added 10.

 

"We are getting a lot of solid efforts from several of our guys," Ladue stated. "We played well again but need to improve on finishing games. Patterson was terrific on the boards and Travis Bond (Norfolk, New York) gave us a huge lift off the bench."

 

Broome's Nicholas Kjaerholt had five 3-pointers in a 23-point performance and Krowiak had four 3s with 20 points.

 

North Country now takes a long nine day break before returning to action on February 5 when they travel to Glens Falls to take on Adirondack Community College. Game time is slated for 7 p.m.

 

Broome 83, North Country 70

 

North Country CC: Mike Cowart 5 1-2 14; Keon Patterson 6 0-0 12; Dominic Mungen 7 0-0 15; John Reed 7 4-5 18; Ben Walker 4 0-0 10; Ryan Geary 2 0-0 4; Travis Bond 0 0-0 0. Totals: 31 5-7 70.

 

Broome CC: Jim Torto 0 0-0 0; James Garcia 0 0-0 0; Tyrek Coleman 0 3-6 3; Antonio Carter 2 2-2 6; Nicholas Kjaerholt 8 2-2 23; Rob Krowiak 6 4-4 20; Zach Huston 14 3-6 31. Totals: 30 14-20 83.

 

Halftime: NC 42-36. 3-pointers: BCC 9 (Kjaerholt 5, Krowiak 4); North Country 6 (Cowart 3, Mungen 1, Walker 2). Rebounds: Huston (BCC) 15. Assists:Torto (BCC) 12.

 

 

January 21, 2008

North Country 96, Onondaga 85

 

SARANAC LAKE -- North Country Community College went ahead early and never looked back as they took care of the Onondaga Community College Lazers 96-85 Monday afternoon in men's college basketball. The Saints shot the ball well and built a 15 point lead just five minutes into the first half.

 

"We got off to a great start," North Country coach Chad LaDue said.

 

The Saints maintained their lead and went into halftime up 42-25. North Country stretched its lead in the second half, going up by as much as 24.

 

"We maintained our lead," LaDue said. "We shared the ball well and played well defensively."

 

The closest Onondaga ever got was nine points at the end. The Saints missed some free throws down the stretch and the Lazers were able to hit some three-point baskets to close the gap.

 

North Country had four players in double digits. Mike Cowart (Orlando, Florida) and Ben Walker (New Smyrna Beach, Florida) both had 21 points, John Reed (Ogdensburg, N.Y.) had a double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds and Dominic Mungen (Holly Hill, Florida) chipped in 14 points and nine boards. Cowart also had four assists.

 

"I like how we are playing this semester," LaDue said. "This is three straight games playing well and playing as a team and playing team basketball. Our effort as a team was great."

 

North Country returns to action on Saturday afternoon when they travel to Binghamton to take on Broome Community College. Game time is slated for 1 p.m.

 

North Country Community College 96,

 

Onondaga Community College 85

 

Onondaga (85)

Shelly 1-2-5, Byrne 4-0-10, Thompson 5-0-12, Manley 0-0-0, Crowley 3-0-6, Kondra 1-4-6, Chapman 3-2-9, Barzee 2-0-4, Williams 7-3-17, Barrett 1-1-3, Liedka 1-2-4, Vincent 2-0-5, Potter 0-2-2. Totals: 31-16-85.

 

North Country (96)

Cowart 7-6-21, Pollard 4-0-9, Patterson 4-0-8, Mungen 6-2-14, Reed 6-7-19, Walker 8-3-21, Geary 1-1-4, Bond 0-0-0. Totals: 36-19-96.

 

3-point: O (7): Shelly, Byrne (2), Thompson (2), Chapman, Vincent. N (6): Cowart, Pollard, Walker (2), Geary.

 

Halftime: NCCC 42-25

January 16, 2008

Herkimer 63, North Country 60 OT

 

SARANAC LAKE -- This one hurts!

 

North Country Community College was less than a minute away from knocking off the fifth-ranked team in the country Wednesday night, but Herkimer County Community College managed to wriggle off the hook and come away with a 63-60 overtime victory in men's basketball.

 

"It is very disappointing to be that close," NCCC Coach Chad LaDue said. "We played as well as I think we can; they beat us by 38 at the end of last semester. But moral victories are getting old."

 

NCCC (7-12, 4-10) went to a delay game and it succeeded in frustrating Herkimer (15-2). The Generals led only 28-27 at halftime and trailed for much of the second half.

 

"We took as much time off the clock as possible, shortened the game," LaDue explained. "We waited until there were 15 seconds left on the shot clock to shoot."

 

NCCC started the second half with a little run and went up by eight with 11 minutes to play. The Saints maintained a narrow lead until the final minute of play when Herkimer pulled to within one.

 

Dominic Mungen (Holly Hill, Florida) nailed two free throws with 24 seconds to play to extend NCCC's lead to 55-52, but Akeem Flagg sank a 3-pointer with 8 seconds left to knot it at 55. The Saints' Mike Cowart (Orlando, Florida) attempted a 15-footer at the buzzer, but it went off the rim, forcing overtime.

 

The two sides exchanged leads in the overtime until Kevin Kucel hit a 3-pointer with 35 seconds to play, giving Herkimer a 61-60 lead. North Country got a look, but the shot missed and Herkimer came away with the rebound. The Saints quickly fouled Flagg, but he sank both free throws to make it 62-59.

 

Cowart was then fouled while attempting a 3-point shot with 3.5 seconds left. He missed the first shot, made the second and NCCC called timeout. Cowart then missed intentionally, but Herkimer grabbed the rebound and Will Jenkins dropped in one of two foul shots to make it 63-60.

 

Flagg led Herkimer with 25 points while Robby Marshall chipped in with 11 and Kucel, 10.

 

John Reed (Ogdensburg, N.Y.) had 13 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Saints. Mungen chipped in with 12 points and 12 rebounds while Keon Patterson (Daytona Beach, Florida) netted 12 and Cowart, 11. Ryan Geary (Ogdensburg, N.Y.) was credited with five assists.

 

"The only thing about this one is, hopefully, we gained some confidence in that we can be a very good team, if we come to play and stay focused," LaDue said.

 

North Country will host Onondaga Community College at 3 p.m. Monday.

 

Herkimer CC 63, NCCC 60, OT

 

Herkimer CC (63)

Patterson 0-0-0, Kucel 4-0-10, Brown 0-1-1, Damon 1-0-2, Burgos 2-1-7, Jenkins 1-2-5, Marshall 5-1-11, Flagg 8-5-25, Campbell 1-0-2. Totals 23-9-63.

 

North Country CC (60)

Cowart 3-3-11, Pollard 1-0-3, Patterson 6-0-12, Mungen 4-4-12, Reed 4-1-2-13, Geary 2-1-5, Bond 2-0-4, Totals 23-10-60.

 

3-point goals: Herkimer (8) Kucel 2, Burgos 2, Jenkins, Flagg 4. NCCC (4) Cowart 2, Pollard, Reed.

 

Halftime: Herkimer, 28-27

 

Regulation: 55-all

North Country 94, Word of Life 59

 

SARANAC LAKE -- In their first game nearly in a month, the North Country Community College Saints dominated play as they routed Word of Life, 94-59 Tuesday night. North Country came out firing and went up by 31 at halftime, 52-21. The Saints drained 12 three-point baskets in the game with Nate Pollard (Holyoke, Mass.) having four. Pollard finished the night with a team-high 18 points.

 

"It was a good game for us to come back," NCCC Chad Ladue said. "All 10 guys scored and we shared the ball well."

 

All ten of North Country's players finished with at least two baskets each. Dominic Mungen (Holly Hill, Florida) and John Reed (Ogdensburg, N.Y.) each had 12, and Ryan Geary (Ogdensburg, N.Y.) and Mike Cowart (Orlando, Florida) each had 11 for the Saints.

 

Dave Arthur led Word of Life with 20 points.

 

The Saints (7-11) play again today against Herkimer who defeated them last semester 83-45.

 

"We will have our hands full with Herkimer," Ladue said. "We have to play very well tomorrow (Wednesday) to have a shot."

 

North Country CC 94, Word of Life 59

 

Word of Life (59)

Arthur 7-2-20, Godfrey 3-3-10, White 0-0-0, Slothower 1-2-4, Flores 3-1-9, Colin West 0-0-0, Fraser 0-0-0, Large 2-0-6, Valerio 1-3-5, Melton 1-1-4, White 0-0-0. Totals 18-12-59.

 

North Country CC (94)

Cowart 4-1-11, Pollard 6-2-18, Patterson 4-0-9, Mungen 6-0-12, Reed 6-0-12, Geary 3-2-11, Cameron 2-1-6, Nobel 2-0-4, Hozley 3-0-7, Fredericks 1-2-4. Totals 37-8-94.

 

3-point: WL (10): Arthur (4), Godfrey, Flores (2), Melton, Large (2). NC (12): Cowart (2), Pollard (4), Patterson, Geary (3), Cameron, Hozley.

 

Halftime: NCCC, 52-21

  

December 15, 2007

Cobleskill 106, North Country 70

 

COBLESKILL -- The North Country Community College men's basketball team ran into tough competition as SUNY Cobleskill motored to a 106-70 victory Saturday. The Saints (6-11, 4-9) remained close in the first 15 minutes, but the Fighting Tigers went on a late run to take a 56-37 halftime lead. The Fighting Tigers (12-2) had five men in double figures.

 

"They shot the ball extremely well," North Country coach Chad LaDue said. "We went 20-of-37 from the foul line, which did not help."

 

Ben Walker (New Smyrna Beach, Florida) had 25 points for the Saints. John Reed (Ogdensburg, N.Y.) added 20 points and 15 rebounds.

 

The Saints' game against Columbia-Greene slated for this afternoon has been postponed until second semester.

 

North Country (70)

Cowart 2-2-6, Geary 0-0-0, Walker 9-6-25, Mungen 4-0-8, Reed 6-8-20, Pollard 1-0-3, Patterson 2-0-4, Bond 0-2-2, Cameron 0-1-1, Dittrich 1-0-2, Knoble 0-1-1. Totals: 22-37-70.

 

Cobleskill (106)

Fuller 1-0-2, Armstead 7-1-15, Francois 6-3-15, Burns Jr. 2-6-10, M. Williams 3-0-6, Corprew 3-0-6, Ljljojoraj 1-0-2, Mitchell 2-0-4, Beaufort 1-0-2, Thomas 7-2-16, Bellamy 7-0-16, Ford 1-2-4, Shungu 1-0-2, Knight 2-0-4, D. Williams 0-0-0. Totals: 43-21-106.

 

3-point goals: NCCC (2) Walker, Pollard. Cobleskill (2), Bellamy (2).

 

Halftime: Cobleskill, 56-37.

December 12, 2007

Schenectady 84, North Country 78

 

SARANAC LAKE -- North Country Community College cut its deficit to just one point with 1:30 remaining, but couldn't get even as they dropped a close contest with Schenectady Community College, 84-78, in Region III men's basketball action. The Saints trailed by seven points at the half and by as much as 18 in the second half, but managed to close the gap late in the game. The Royals, however, made its free throws over the course of the last 40 seconds to put North Country away.

 

"We went to full-court pressure and played with a lot of energy in the second half," North Country head coach Chad LaDue said.

John Reed (Ogdensburg, N.Y.) led the Saints with a team-high 23 points and 15 rebounds. Ben Walker (New Smyrna Beach, Florida) added 19, and Dominic Mungen (Holly Hill, Florida) had 12. Brian Travis poured in 25 points to lead Schenectady to victory.

 

The Saints (6-10) are back in action this Saturday at 1 p.m. when they travel to Cobleskill.

 

Schenectady (84)

Horn 2-3-9, Frankln 1-0-2, Lawson 0--0-0, Travis 9-6-25, Hook 1-3-5, Popp 1-0-2, Randolph 6-0-12, Freeze 1-0-2, Buttler 5-5-15, Downey 4-0-8, Lynch 1-0-2, Wells 1-0-2. Totals: 29-3-17-84.

 

North Country (78)

Cowart 1-3-6, Pollard 1-1-3, Patterson 2-0-5, Walker 6-1-19, Reed 9-5-23, Mungen 5-2-12, Geary 1-2-4, Bond 2-0-6, Gray 0-0-0, Cameron 0-0-0. Totals: 23-6-14-78.

3-point goals: Schenectady (3) Horn 2, Travis. North Country (6) Walker 2, Bond 2, Cowart, Patterson,

 

Halftime: Schenectady 43 North Country 36

 

December 8, 2007

Hudson Valley 97, North Country 85

 

TROY -- It's one thing to play with the top-ranked team in National Junior College Athletic Association basketball for a majority of the game. It's another thing, however, to come away with a victory. North Country Community College found out just that Saturday afternoon. Justin Gallo and Datwan Hemingway each dropped 24 points to lead Hudson Valley past the Saints, 97-85, in Region III action.

 

The Saints kept up with the Vikings all game long and at one point were a head by a bucket. But, the Vikings went on an 8-0 run to take a 47-39 lead into halftime.

 

North County battle back to within four points immediately into the second half, but once again, the Vikings built a comfortable lead -- 15 points. After the Saints got to within two with eight minutes to play, Hudson Valley took advantage of Saints' foul trouble and pulled away with the victory.

 

"I have no problems with the way we played today," North Country head coach Chad LaDue said. "We just lost to a better team. That's the reason they are No. 1 in the country." "They are very quick and shoot the ball extremely well. They also beat us up on the offensive boards."

 

Binghamton bound TikiMayben dropped 16 points for the Vikings, while Justin Love-Smith added 15.

 

Nate Pollard (Holyoke, Mass.) and Ben Walker (New Smyrna Beach, Florida paced the Saints with 20 points each. Dominic Mungen (Holly Hill, Florida) and John Reed (Ogdensburg, N.Y.) chipped in with 19 and 13 points respectively.

 

North Country returns to action tomorrow with a tough contest at Herkimer.

 

North Country (85)

Cowart 3-2-9, Pollard 7-3-20, Patterson 1-0-2, Walker 7-2-20, Reed 6-1-13, Geary 1-0-2, Mungen 9-1-19, Bond 0-0-0, Cameron 0-0-0. Totals 34-9-85.

 

Hudson Valley (97)

Love-Smith 6-3-15, Luce 3-1-10, Gallo 7-10-24, Barry 0-0-0, Hemingway 10-4-24, Mayben 6-3-16, Faragon 2-4-8. Totals 34-25-97.

3-point goals: HVCC (4) Luce 3, Mayben. NCCC (8) Cowart, Pollard 3, Walker 4.

 

Halftime: HVCC, 47-39

 

  

December 4, 2007

North Country 91, Morrisville St. College JV 69

 

SARANAC LAKE -- The North Country Community College men's basketball team expanded on an 11-point halftime lead to blow out the Morrisville State College JV 91-69, Tuesday. Nathaniel Pollard (Holyoke, Mass.) hit seven of the team's 10 3-point baskets in the first half and finished with 21 points. John Reed added 21 points and 15 rebounds for the Saints.

 

"We wanted to go out and play 40 minutes of basketball, and we played hard for 40 minutes," North Country coach Chad LaDue said.

 

The Saints (6-7, 4-6) return to action this weekend when they head to Troy, New York to face the top team in the nation, Hudson Valley. Game time is slated for 1 p.m.

 

NCCC (91)

Cowart 1-4-6, Pollard 7-0-21, Patterson 5-0-11, Walker 3-2-8, Reed 7-7-21, Geary 3-4-11, Dittrich 2-0-4, Knobel 1-0-2, Pond 1-2-4, Hozley 1-0-3, Bond 0-0-0, Cameron 0-0-0, Fredericks 0-0-0. Totals: 31-19-93.

 

MSC JV (69)

Davis 1-0-2, Francis 3-0-6, Harris 0-0-0, Obeng 0-0-0, Vandiver 3-3-10, Berngbose 2-0-5, Hunter 3-0-6, Jones 4-0-11, Smith 3-0-6, Keys 3-3-9, Noel 3-0-6, Richardson 1-0-2, Horn 3-0-6. Totals: 29-6-69.

3-point goals: NCCC (10), Pollard 7, Patterson, Geary, Hozley. MSC (3), Vandiver, Bergbose, Jones.

 

Halftime:  North Country:  42-31

December 1, 2007

Lackawanna 62, North Country 60

CORNING -- The North Country Community College men's basketball team met some strong competition in the opening round of the Tarantelli Classic at Corning Community College. The Saints took on Lackawanna Community College (Scranton, Pa.), an NJCAA Region II Div. II school and held their own before falling 62-60.

"They are very big and start two 6-7 kids," North Country coach Chad LaDue said.

Although being over powered, the Saints made a game of it and trailed the Falcons by just three points at halftime.

Nathaniel Pollard (Holyoke, Mass.) was the bright spot in the second half, knocking down four of his five three-point attempts to finish with 21 points. Dominic Mungen (Holly Hill, Florida) provided a spark off the bench, netting 17 points.

John Reed (Ogdensburg, N.Y.) chipped in with 12 points and Ben Walker (New Smyrna Beach, Florida) added 10.

"This is the best game of the year," LaDue said. "We played the best team of the year so far. I am very pleased with the total team effort and we got better today."

The Falcons were led by Chris Hahn with 16 points followed by Adrian Gailliard with 12 points.

The Saints (5-6) will play in the consolation game today against Columbia-Greene Community College.

 

Lackawana Community College (62)

Moore 2-1-7, Hahn 7-1-16, Gailliard 6-0-12, Stewart 3-2-8, Daniel 2-0-4, Hill 2-0-4, Thomas 0-0-0, Aviles 1-1-3, DeShields 1-0-2, Bradley 2-0-4, Nimmons 0-0-0, Presbery 1-0-2. Totals: 27-5-62.

North Country Community College (60)

Cowart 0-0-0, Pollard 6-4-21, Walker 3-4-10, Reed 4-3-12, Mungen 6-5-17, Gray 0-0-0, Dittrich 0-0-0. Totals: 19-16-60.

3-points: Lackawanna; Hahn, Moore (2). NCCC; Pollard (5), Reed.

Halftime: Lackawanna 24-21.

 

NCCC names Women’s Hoops coach for 08-09 season

 

Saranac Lake –  Anyone who knows Jerrad Dumont or has seen him on the court, knows he is competitor.  He prides himself on his work ethic, and his refuse to lose attitude.  That is why the Saints Athletics Department is happy to welcome Dumont as the newest member on their staff.  Dumont joins the staff this year as the Head Women’s Basketball Coach. 

 

Don’t expect to see Dumont teaching the pick and roll, building team chemistry, or planning for his next away trip.  While Dumont will be spending some time on the court this year, assisting and learning from his former coach Chad LaDue, he will spend most of his time this season on the sidelines.  Dumont has accepted the challenge of reemerging the Women’s Basketball program for NCCC.  The program dissolved two years ago but the Saints Athletic Department is looking to add the sport in 2008-2009.  The program will need to be built from the ground up.  Dumont will take this coming school year to establish connections with high school coaches.  He will strive to find talented athletes that are excited about college basketball and that want to be a part of an exciting college basketball team.  He will focus and build his team on the principles of family, a strong work ethic, accountability to one another both on and off the court, and most importantly having fun.

 

“Everything excites me about this job,” replied Dumont to a question. “I enjoy watching, playing, and teaching basketball. I want to have fun, but I also want us to be a top competitor in Region III. As far as recruiting goes, I’d like to initiate relationships with, and get to know the coaches in our area, so I can get to know their best players.”

 

Dumont is no stranger to success.  He started his collegiate career at NCCC where he was a leader for both soccer and basketball programs.  He served as captain to both programs, was named to the basketball All Northern Independence Conference Team, and was named the Saints Player of the Year his sophomore year.  After graduation in 2005, Dumont traveled to SUNY Plattsburgh where he was a two-year starter and captain his senior year for the Cardinals Men’s Basketball Team.  He would contribute to the  team’s back to back conference championships, earning them an NCAA tournament appearances both years.  The Cardinals ended up losing their first NCAA game in 2006, but came back Dumont’s senior year and won, making them one of the top 30 teams in the Nation.

 

Saints Athletic Director, Heather Conger, comments, “I have had the pleasure of watching Dumont as a player.  He is the true essence of a team player that understands the meaning of dedication and commitment, and leads with his unmatched work ethic. We are happy to have the chance to offer women the opportunity to play women’s basketball here at North Country.  Dumont bears the determination and persistence that will be needed not only to reestablish this program, but make them successful.”

 

Attention all girls basketball coaches from Albany to the St. Lawrence valley, if Jerrad Dumont calls, don’t ignore him. One of your student-athletes might just get the opportunity of a lifetime in Saranac Lake, playing with the Lady Saints under Coach Dumont. 

Mitchell returns to NCCC hoops

 

Saranac Lake – In 2003, the North Country Men’s Basketball team welcomed Scott Mitchell, a 5’3” freshman from Moira, NY.  He was a 3 sport athlete at Brushton-Moira High School and was the winner of Section X’s highly coveted Joe Jukoski (basketball) and the Jim Pinkerton (baseball) Awards.  While Mitchell’s stature was small, the impact he would bring to the Saints program was big. 

 

During his tenure at the College, Mitchell was a key component in leading the Saints to a Northern Independence Conference (NIC) Championship and a berth into the Region III Quarterfinals in 2005.  Mitchell was captain his sophomore year and was named to the First Team All-NIC a Region III All-Star.  He also led the Region and Nation with an average of 8.9 assists per game.  But that doesn’t explain it all. 

 

Now Mitchell hits the court again for the Saints in a different capacity as Assistant Coach for the program.  Saints Head Men’s Basketball Coach, Chad LaDue, explains, “When Scott was our point guard, it was like having another coach on the floor,” and now having him return after his success at SUNY Potsdam, “Well, we’re excited to see him have the opportunities to become a head coach someday.”

 

Mitchell left North Country in 2005 after graduating with an Associate’s Degree in Arts & Science.  He continued his career at Potsdam, where he again captain the Men’s Basketball team, led the SUNYAC Conference in 3 point percentage and his team in assists, all while majoring in Mathematics and Science.  This past summer he returned to Brushton-Moira, as Head AAU Coach for their 2007 summer program.

 

This fall, Mitchell has quickly jumped in and is learning his role within the coaching staff, which also includes five year staff member, Rob Roy, and former Saints teammate Jerrad Dumont, also new to the staff. 

 

“It’s going to be a good experience being on the sidelines as a coach.”  When asked about this year’s team, Mitchell thought for a moment and replied with a smile, “We’re very talented; small, quick, athletic, and we’re going to be fun to watch. There are 10 to 11 guys to play at any time, so we also have a chance to be very good, and we’ll be very good if we become a family.”

 

Mitchell’s biggest role will be working with the guards, especially the point guards. Mitchell mentions some of the talent he’ll personally work with.  Point guard Ryan Geary of Ogdensburg (Ogdensburg Free Academy), returns to the Saints this year after red shirting his freshman year.  The other point guard is freshman Mike Cowart from Orlando, FL (Pine Ridge High School). Of Cowart, Mitchell stated, “He comes to us with a great basketball IQ – he’s very talented.”

 

While care of this year’s crew is the priority, recruiting for next year’s team is also part of the job description.  “All he has to do is go out and tell his story: ‘I played, I succeeded, and I came back (to NCCC)’. It’s the same story as my own – it’s kind of unique,” added LaDue, further noting that NCCC is the college that continues to give opportunities long after graduation.”

 

Mitchell also currently works as an Enrollment Counselor and is the Assistant Residence Director for the College.  “Scott is a great addition to not only our Department but the entire College community.  He is an individual who possesses the character and confidence we look to instill in our students.  On the court his passion and knowledge of the game will prove to be an invaluable addition to the program,” comments Saints Athletic Director, Heather Conger.

 

Mitchell explains, “I was pleased Coach LaDue asked me to be his assistant, and I’m very pleased to not only work with him but come back and contribute to NCCC as an alumnus.  This is a great opportunity to start pursuing a head coaching career.”  Until then, the Saints will look for Mitchell to again make a big impact on this Saints program.  The Saints look to open their season November 1 against Clinton.

November 17, 2007

Tompkins-Cortland 80, North Country 71

 

AUBURN -- Unbeaten Tompkins-Cortland Community College jumped out early and held on to beat North Country Community College 80-71 Saturday night in the championship game of the Men's Spartan Classic at Cayuga Community College.

 

TC-3 got up by 15 early in the contest and then thwarted a number of Saints' comeback bids. Dominic Mungen (Holly Hill, Florida) scored 16 of his game-high 23 points in the first half to keep NCCC (4-5) within range, down only 39-31 at intermission. North Country's John Reed (Ogdensburg, N.Y.), who had 26 points in Friday's win over host Cayuga, ran into early foul trouble. Mike Cowart (Orlando, Florida) chipped in with 15 points.

 

The Saints made a run late, getting to within three with six minutes to play. But NCCC missed two front ends of 1-and-1 free-throw situations and fell behind by 6 to 10 the rest of the way. Mungen, who also had 11 rebounds, and Reed, who finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds, were named to the all-tournament team.

 

"Cowart played very well for us," NCCC Coach Chad LaDue said.

 

"TC-3 is 7-0 and we're 4-5, but, to be honest, the difference between the two teams is more mental than physical. We need to become a smarter basketball team and us as coaches need to get them to make better decisions."

 

The Saints are off until Nov. 27 when they will host Columbia-Greene Community College.

TC-3 80, North Country CC 71

Tompkins-Cortland (80)

Mitchell 3-4-12, Anderson 8-4-20, Prue 0-0-0, Hrynko 4-0-8, Mann 4-3-13, Garcia 0-2-2, Parker 7-2-16, Wilburn 0-1-1, Eric Williams 3-2-8. Totals 25-4-18/26-80.

NCCC (71)

Cowart 6-3-15, Pollard 3-0-8, Patterson 1-0-2, Walker 3-1-8, Reed 5-2-13, Mungen 9-5-23, Bond 1-0-2, Cameron 0-0-0, Geary 1-0-2. Totals 25-4-11/17-71.

Halftime: TC-3 39, NCCC 31

November 16, 2007

North Country 98, Cayuga 73

 

AUBURN -- John Reed (Ogdensburg, N.Y.) poured in 26 points and grabbed 16 rebounds powering the North Country Community College men's basketball team past Cayuga Community College, 98-73, Friday in the Men's Spartan Classic. The Saints play Tompkins-Cortland Community College at 2 p.m. in today championship.

 

Ben Walker (New Smyrna Beach, Florida) scored 18 for the Saints (4-4), and Dominic Mungen (Holly Hill, Florida) and Mike Cowart (Orlando, Florida) both tossed in 14. Cowart also had six assists.

"We went inside early," North Country coach Chad LaDue said. "We played very well, and we were unselfish. We shot the ball fairly well -- we had 11 threes, which opened things up. All in all, it was a very good team effort"

 

Reed and Mungen combined for 25 points in the first half to help the Saints take a 47-34 lead.

Nathaniel Pollard (Holyoke, Mass.) hit three triples and finished with 11 points to give North Country five players in double figures.

 

Tyron Wilcox paced Cayuga with 30 points.

 

Tompkins-Cortland, the Saints' opponent today, beat Niagara on Friday to improve to 6-0 on the season.

 

North Country (98)

Cowart 4-4-14, Pollard 3-2-11, Patterson 3-0-7, Walker 7-1-18, Reed 9-7-26, Mungen 7-0-14, Bond 1-0-3, Cameron 0-2-2, Dittrich 1-1-3, Pond 0-0-0, Hozley 0-0-0, Fredericks 0-0-0, Knoble 0-0-0, Geary 0-0-0. Totals 35-17-98.

Cayuga (73)

Wilcox 12-6-30, Kelley 0-0-0, Taylor 7-2-16, Cateder 1-0-2, Thomas 2-0-4, Mallet 7-0-17, Martinez 3-0-6, Brown 0-2-2, Dapolito 0-0-0, Borland 1-0-2. Totals 33-10-73.

3-point goals: North Country (11) Pollard 3, Walker 3, Cowart 2, Patterson, Bond, Reed. Cayuga (3), Mallet 3.

November 13, 2007

North Country 94, Word of Life 65

 

SARANAC LAKE -- The North Country Community College men's basketball team cruised past Word of Life, 94-65. The Saints got out to an early first-half lead and never looked back. North Country led at halftime, 45-29, and scored 49 more in the second half.

 

"It was good to get a lot of the guys who don't get to play some minutes and reward them for all their hard work," North Country coach Chad LaDue said.

 

The Saints were able to have fun and get the other players on the roster some experience in the game.

 

"It was a fun game and the guys from the bench played a lot of minutes and had many opportunities to score," LaDue said.

 

The Saints were led by Dominic Mungen (Holly Hill, Florida) with 14 points. Mike Cowart (Orlando, Florida) chipped in with 13 and Nathaniel Pollard (Holyoke, Mass.) had 12. Ten other players scored for North Country.

 

Daniel Goodfree led the way for Word of life with 15 points, and Colin west chipped in 11.

The Saints travel to the Cayuga Community College Tournament were they will face the home team at 7 p.m.

 

North Country Community College 94, Word of Life 65

Word of Life (65)

Arthur 1-7-9, Clorous 1-0-3, Frazier 2-1-5, Goodfree 6-0-15, White 2-2-7, Amick 1-0-3, Landry 2-4-6, Marge 1-0-3, Slolth 0-0-0, Valeiro 1-1-3, West 5-1-11. Totals: 22-15-65.

North Country Community College (94)

Cowart 6-0-13, Pollard 5-0-12, Patterson 1-0-2, Knoble 1-0-2, Reed 3-0-6, Walker 6-0-12, Mungen 6-2-14, Bond 0-0-0, Cameron 3-2-9, Dittrich 1-2-4, Pond 2-0-7, Hozley 1-4-7, Fredericks 1-4-6. Totals: 37-14-94

3-point goals: North Country (6), Cowart, Pollard 2, Mungen, Hozley, Pond. Word of Life (6),Clorous,Goodfree (2),Amick, White, Marge.

Halftime: North Country 45-29

November 11, 2007

North Country 81, Adirondack 66

SARANAC LAKE -- North Country Community College, bouncing back from a tough 81-75 loss to Broome Community College the day before, rolled to an 81-66 victory over Adirondack Community College in men's basketball Sunday. The Saints improved their overall record to 2-4.

Ben Walker (New Smyrna Beach, Florida) and John Reed (Ogdensburg, N.Y.) turned in big performances for North Country C.C., with Walker finishing with a game-high 24 points and Reed adding 20 points and a team-high 13 rebounds. Nathaniel Pollard (Holyoke, Mass.) chipped in with 14 points and Dominic Mungen (Holly Hill, Florida) 10 points for the Saints.

North Country C.C. raced out to a 41-26 lead at the half and led by as many as 25 points after intermission.

 

"It was nice to get everyone some minutes today," said North Country C.C. head coach Chad LaDue.

Craig Robertson, Jr. tossed in 15 points to lead Adirondack C.C. and was followed by Andy Sherwin with 14 and Tim Fish with 10.

 

The Saints are back on the court on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. when they host Word of Life.

 

North Country 81, Adirondack 66

Adirondack C.C. (66)

Sherwin 4-4-14. Dufford 2-0-4, Newchurch 1-0-2, Fish 4-0-10, Forlie 1-2-4, Watson 0-0-0, Wells 2-0-4, Weiderhold, 0-2-2, Eddy 1-3-5, Robertson, Jr. 6-0-15, Nassivera 1-0-2, Snyder 2-0-4. Totals: 24-11-66.

North Country C.C. (81)

Cowart 1-0-2, Pollard 6-2-14, Patterson 3-0-6, Walker 9-4-24, Reed 9-1-20, Mungen 5-0-10, Bond 0-0-0, Cameron 0-5-5, Knoble 0-0-0, Dittrich 0-0-0, Fredericks 0-0-0, Hozley 0-0-0. Totals: 33-12-81.

November 10, 2007

Broome CC 81, North Country 75

 

SARANAC LAKE -- North Country Community College led by 7 points at half time but Broome Community College pulled out an improbable 81-75 victory in Region III men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon.

 

The Saints led most of the way and were up by 11 at one point in the first half before settling for a 41-34 advantage at intermission.

 

With 31 seconds to go in regulation and the score tied at 75, North Country was looking to play for the last shot but were called for a five-second violation. The Saints argued the call, resulting in a technical foul. Rob Krowiak nailed both free throws and was immediately fouled on the ensuing in bounds pass. He tossed in two more to make it 79-75. The Saints were hit with another technical in the final seconds and Broome added to its lead.

 

"It was a great game and both teams played hard," North Country coach Chad LaDue said. "It was by far our best game of the year and I thought we played extremely well."

Nathaniel Pollard (Holyoke, Mass.) led the Saints with 25 points. Dominic Mungen (Holly Hill, Florida) had 19 and Ben Walker (New Smyrna Beach, Florida) and John Reed (Ogdensburg, N.Y.) chipped in with 12 and 10 points respectively.

Reed also had 16 rebounds on the day and Mungen, 9.

 

Krowiak led the way for the Hornets with 28 points. Jim Torto chipped in 18 and Nick Kjaerholt added 12.

 

Broome CC 81, North Country CC 75

Broome (81)

Torto 7-1-1-18, Coleman 3-0-1-7, Carter 1-0-2, Kjaerholt 3-2-0-12, Krowiak 2-5-9-28, Newborn, 0-0-2-2,

Huston 7-0-0-14. Totals 23-8-13/19-81.

North Country (75)

Cowart 2-0-3-7, Pollard 4-5-2-25, Patterson 1-0-0-2, Walker 6-0-0-12, Reed 3-0-4-10, Mungen 7-0-5-19, Bond 0-0-0, Cameron 0-0-0. Totals 23-5-14/16-75.

3-point goals: Broome (8) Torto, Kjaerholt 2, Krowiak 5. NCCC (5) Pollard 5.

November 6, 2007

Jefferson 75, North Country 74

 

By LOU REUTER, Enterprise Senior Sports Writer

November 4, 2007

Broome 94, North Country 84

 

The North Country Community College men's basketball team got down by 11 points at halftime and could not overcome the deficit, falling to Broome Community College 94-84 in the consolation game of the Viking Classic held at Hudson Valley Community College.

 

The Saints Ben Walker (New Smyrna Beach, Florida) tied for game-high honors with 27 points. He was named to the all tournament team for his efforts during the weekend. Jim Torto 27 points paced the Hornets.

 

Broome (1-1) never let the lead drop below seven in the second half, and led as much as 83-60 with about five minutes to go in regulation. North Country (1-2) made a late run but could not overtake the Hornets.

November 3, 2007  

Schenectady 82, North Country 79

 

NCCCcagers fall in Hudson Valley tourney
TROY -- Tyrone Butler poured in 28 points to help Schenectady Community College rally past North Country Community College, 82-79, Saturday in the Viking Classic, hosted by Hudson Valley Community College. Ben Walker (New Smyrna Beach, Florida) paced North Country (1-1) with 20 points, and Mike Cowart (Orlando, Florida) added 18.

Schenectady led, 28-26, at halftime, but the Saints pulled ahead in the second half.

 

"With about 10 (minutes) to go, we went on a pretty good run, got up 14," North Country coach Chad LaDue said. "Then they fought back. They tied it with about 50 seconds to go, then got a steal and went ahead. Then we had to start fouling. "They played well. They kept fighting and hanging around, and we let them back into the game."

 

The tournament continues today, as the Saints take on Broome Community College in the 4 p.m. consolation game.

 

Schenectady 82, North Country 79

North Country (79)

Cowart 8-1-18, Patterson 5-0-11, Pollard 3-1-9, Walker 8-2-20, Reed 1-5-7, Mungen 3-3-9, Bond 2-1-5, Cameron 0-0-0. Totals: 30-13-79.

Schenectady (82)

Horne 1-1-3, Franklin 1-0-2, Lawson 5-1-14, Mollette 4-0-10, Travis 3-0-6, Hook 0-0-0, Popp 0-1-1, Randolph 0-1-1, Freese 3-3-10, Butler 13-2-28, Drowne 2-0-4, Lynch 1-0-2. Totals: 34-8-82.

3-point goals: North Country (6) Pollard 2, Walker 2, Cowart, Patterson. Schenectady (6) Lawson 3, Mollette 2, Freese.

North Country 65, Clinton 63

 

Cougars fall to NCCC

PLATTSBURGH -- There wasn't lack of effort, intensity or excitement from the Clinton Community College men's basketball team Thursday night.  But there was one thing missing -- a "W".  John Reed (Ogdensburg, N.Y.) hit back-to-back free throws with 1.6 seconds remaining on the clock to lift North Country Community College past the Cougars, 65-63, in Region III men's basketball action in front of a packed house at the Clinton gymnasium.

 

With the score knotted at 60-all, North Country's Nate Pollard (Holyoke, Mass.) drained a three from just behind the arc, giving the Saints a 63-60 lead with just under a minute left to play. The Cougars called time out and set up a play. With 13 second remaining on the clock, Tory Bouyea found Kyle Stark at the top of the key and he knocked down a game tieing three pointer.

The Saints did not call time out and quickly moved the ball up the court. Pollard took a three but Reed was able to rebound the miss and was fouled just under the basket, sending him to the free-throw stripe. The Cougars called a timeout to ice the six-foot-four sophomore,  but Reed calmly stepped to the line and swished both shots.

 

A final attempt for the Cougars came up short, and North Country pulled away with an exciting win.

"I thought we got back really well after (Kyle) Stark hit that three, but their guy was aggressive and was able to draw the foul," Clinton C.C. head coach Kevin Daugherty said.

 

The Cougars and Saints went back-and-forth in a first half plagued by poor lay-ups, bad free-throw shooting (from both sides) and turnovers.  As both teams started to settle down in their season openers, the play started to flow better and both teams found somewhat of a comfort zone.

Unfortunately for the Cougars, the Saints got in the last blow.

 

"I'm pleased with the overall effort we gave," Daugherty said. "Coming into the season, we knew that youth could be factor early on and, tonight, that was the case. In some spots we maybe made a few bad decisions, but that happens. We will work through the inexperienced mistakes. We'll also gel as time goes on and be a very good basketball team."

 

The Cougars held a 28-25 halftime lead and kept the Saints off the board in the first four minutes of the second half. But Saints' guard Mike Cowart (Orlando, Florida) blew up for 18 second-half points, including seven unanswered points in a span of 45 seconds.

 

"I give North Country a lot of credit," Daugherty said. "They shot the ball very well and were outstanding defensively."

 

Sairron Miller led the Cougars with 14 points, while Jimmell Brunson (12) and Steve Thomas (11) were only other players in double-figures.

Cowart finished with a game-high 23 points.

 

"The inexperience and nerves showed at times, but that is going to happen," said Daugherty "We need to take better care of the ball and we will get better results."

 

North Country C.C. 65

Clinton C.C. 63

North Country (65)

Reed 4-3-11, Walker 7-0-15, Patterson 1-1-3, Cowart 9-3-23, Mungen 4-0-8, Bond 0-0-0, Pollard 1-2-5. Totals: 26-9-65.

Clinton C.C. (63).

Bouyea 2-3-6, Stark 2-2-7, Whitaker 4-1-9, Stankovich 1-0-2, Brunson 6-0-12, Miller 7-0-14, Thomas 5-1-11, Rogers 0-1-1. Totals: 27-7-63.

3-point goals: North Country (4) Walker 1, Cowart 2, Pollard 1. Clinton C.C. (1) Stark.

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Broome 83, North Country 79 Overtime

 

BINGHAMTON - The North Country Community College Saints rode the horses that got them into the regional, but fell just short of the finish line Tuesday night.

North Country led by 17 with 12 minutes to go, but lost all-time leading scorer Al Miller (Fort Pierce, Florida) to fouls with five minutes remaining in regulation, plus Ben Walker (New Smyrna Beach, Florida) and Corey Polke (Lyons, Georgia) in overtime, enabling Broome to pull out an 83-79 victory in overtime in an NJCAA Region III Division III first-round game.

 

The Hornets, who never led in regulation, finally caught the Saints at 71 with 21 seconds to play. Then, in overtime, Broome outscored the weary Saints 12-8.

 

"After those guys fouled out, we were just trying to hold on," NCCC Coach Chad Ladue said. "We didn't have the horses and we didn't take care of the ball."

 

It was a bitter setback for the Saints, who closed out one of their more successful campaigns at 17-11.

 

"For 35 minutes, we probably played the best basketball we've played all year. It's just frustrating to lead from start almost to the finish and not come away with the W," Ladue added.

 

"It's hard to think of the season ending this way, but I'm pleased with how far we've come. It was my fifth full season here (at NCCC) and I'd have to say the program is where we wanted it to be."

 

Walker led the Saints with 21 points while John Reed (Ogdensburg, NY) chipped in with 17 and 11 rebounds. Polke finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds.

 

Miller managed 15 points, enabling him to become North Country's all-time scoring leader with 1,016 points. He overtook Will Hill.

 

Rob Krowiak scored 28 points to lead Broome (19-10) while Wayne Davis added 20. The Hornets move on to the NJCAA Region III quarterfinals Friday at Herkimer Community College, where they will face the host Generals.

 

"Our guys never quit, but we need to get deeper next year," Ladue went on.

 

"Congratulations, though, to Clinton Community College (a winner over Hudson Valley). At least one North Country team is still alive."

 

Broome CC 83, NCCC 79

 

North Country CC (79)

 

Al Miller 5-2-15, Trevor Dupont 4-0-10, Ben Walker 8-3-21, Corey Polke 7-2-16, John Reed 7-2-17, McDonell 0-0-0, Washington 0-0-0, Cameron 0-0-0, Sauve 0-0-0. Totals 31-9/14-79.

 

Broome CC (83)

 

Cline 1-1-4, Abdus-Salaam 4-1-10, Carter 5-4-14, Davis 7-6-20, Krowiak 7-11-28, Swzyrko 2-0-6, Daye 1-0-2. Totals 25-23/33-83.

 

3-point goals: NCCC (8) Miller 3, Dupont 2, Walker 2, Reed. Broome (7)Cline,Abdus-Salaam,Krowiak 3,Swzyrko 2.

 

Halftime: NCCC 41-35

 

Regulation: 71-all

North Country Gains Sub Regional Bid

 

The North Country Community College Men's Basketball team will travel to Binghamton on Tuesday for the opening round of the Region III Men's Tournament against Broome Community College.

"It's an advantage for us to be playing someone we know and in a facility we're familiar with," said Coach Chad Ladue. "If we can defend their two top scorers well, we'll get a chance to move on to the quarterfinals of the regional tournament in Herkimer this weekend."

 

North Country faced off with the Hornets twice this season. In November the Saints pulled out a 74-70 win on Broome's home floor before going down to defeat at the Corning Community College Tournament in December by a score of 102-82.

 

Game time for Tuesday's contest has been slated for 7 p.m.

Saturday, February 24, 2007

NCCC 96, Schenectady 84

 

SCHENECTADY - The Saints ended their regular season, not only with a win over the Royals, but with a special milestone.

Al Miller (Fort Pierce, Florida) collected 38 points to lead the way for North Country (17-10, 13-8) and in the process went over 1,000 career points in his career. He now stands at 1,001, just one point behind all-time leading scorer Will Hill.

 

Miller scored 31 points, including seven 3-pointers, in the first half as the Saints took a 45-38 halftime advantage. With about nine minutes to go he connected on a 3-pointer to go past the mark.

 

"I am extremely happy for Al," North Country head coach Chad LaDue said. "To be able to go over 1,000 points in two seasons is something special."

 

Ben Walker (New Smyrna Beach, Florida) added 17 points and five steals. John Reed (Ogdensburg, NY) finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and Cory Polke (Lyons, Georgia) had nine rebounds.

 

North Country will find out this evening who they will play in the opening round of the Region III tournament that gets under way on Tuesday.

 

North Country 96, Schenectady 84

 

North Country C.C. (96)

 

Miller 14-2-38, Dupont 2-0-5, Walker 7-2-17, Polke 1-0-2, Reed 6-0-12, McDonell 0-2-2, Washington 1-1-3, Cameron 0-2-2, Sauve 3-0-6, Perocier 2-2-6, Knoble 1-1-3, Stackpole 0-0-0. Totals: 37-12-96.

 

Schenectady (84)

 

Travis 8-1-21, Paupst 5-0-11, Jones 6-2-17, Lee 8-1-18, Franklin 6-2-16, Morris 1-0-2. Totals: 34-6-84.

 

Halftime: North Country C.C., 45-38

 

3-point goals: North Country C.C. (10) Miller 8, Dupont, Walker. Schenectady (10) Travis 4, Paupst, Jones 3, Lee, Franklin.

Friday, February 23, 2007

Hudson Valley 75, North Country 66

By BILL JOHNSON, Enterprise Sports Editor

 

SARANAC LAKE - Hudson Valley Community College broke open a close game with a 14-6 spurt midway through the second half Friday to record a 75-66 win over North Country Community College in Region III men's basketball action.

Trailing 51-50 with 12:04 left to play, consecutive three point baskets by Kevin Gouts and Maurice Lane ignited the game-winning run which was capped by back-to-back treys by Corey Harkins and Justin Gallo.

 

"Hudson Valley is known as the best three-point shooting team in the region and we were hoping they would shoot themselves out by the second half," said NCCC coach Chad LaDue. "Unfortunately, they made six of their 11 threes in the second half and those back-to-back threes gave them an eight-point lead we could not overcome."

 

The Saints stumbled out of the gate and trailed 12-2 at the 15:18 mark of the first half. After a quick 30-second time out, North Country put together a 10-0 run to tie the contest at 12-12 with 12:18 remaining.

 

Corey Polke (Lyons, Georgia) scored off a rebound to start the uprising, which featured four points from John Reed (Ogdensburg, NY) and a thundering dunk by Ben Walker (New Smyrna Beach, Florida).

 

"We needed to go back inside with the ball and that led to some good outside looks," LaDue said. "From there we ran a few tandem pick-and-rolls that gave us the lead."

 

A basket by Hudson Valley's Zachary Bye ended NCCC's streak, but did little to slow its momentum. By the time the dust had settled, the Saints had outscored the Vikings 19-4 in a 6:30 span to open a 21-14 advantage.

 

"I was please with our effort tonight," LaDue added. "Corey Polke was unreal on the boards, and John Reed and Ben Walker were exceptional on both end of the floor. It's unfortunate we were unable to create any looks for Trevor (Dupont) (Decatur, Illinois), but what hurt the most was the fact Al Miller (Fort Pierce, Florida), our leading scorer, played with a bad back and was held to only nine points."

 

North Country held a six-point lead at halftime, but the Vikings made up the difference and took the lead for good eight minutes in. The Saints cut the HVCC lead to four on two occasions in the final four minutes of the game, but could not sustain their momentum long enough to regain the lead.

 

Walker led all scorers with 24 points, Reed chipped in 17 and Polke collected 14. Gallo had 18 points for the Vikings and Lane tallied 17. Goutos, Harkins and Ryne Luce scored 10 points each in the contest.

 

North Country (16-10,12-8) closes out their regular season on Saturday afternoon when they travel to Schenectady Community College. Game time is slated for 3 p.m.

 

Hudson Valley 75, NCCC 66

Vikings 34 41 - 75

Saints 38 28 - 66

HVCC (75)

Gallo 6-3-18, DiJohn 2-0-6, Luce 3-1-10, Canape 0-0-0, Faragon 0-0-0, Lane 7-1-17, Bye 3-0-6, Harkins 3-1-10, Goutos 3-4-10. Totals: 27-10-75.

NCCC (66)

Miller 3-3-9, Dupont 1-0-2, Walker 9-4-24, Polke 6-0-14, Reed 8-1-17, Washington 0-0-0, Cameron 0-0-0, Sauve 0-0-0, McDonell 0-0-0. Totals: 26-8-66.

Halftime: NCCC 38, HVCC 34.

Three-point field goals: HVCC (11) Gallo 3, Luce 3, DiJohn 2, Lane 2, Harkins; NCCC (4) Walker 2, Polke 2.

Saturday, February 17, 2007

Albany Pharmacy 79, North Country 62

By: KEITH KANE

Press Republican Staff Writer

 

PLATTSBURGH - For the first time in four seasons, a team other than North Country Community College or Clinton Community College hoisted the Northern Independents Conference championship plaque.

Albany Pharmacy came out on fire and held off a late surge from the Saints to take a 79-62 victory, and its first NIC championship.

 

The Panthers are also the first No. 1 seed to capture the title.

 

"The first 10 minutes of the game I think they shot close to 80 percent," North Country head coach Chad LaDue said. "(Bryan) Jones shot very well early and (John) Adamchick scored well inside.

 

"That got us into an area where we had to fight up hill from start to finish."

 

Adamchick led Albany Pharmacy with 18 points while Jones chipped in with 16. Zack Bratek added 15 points, and RamyRamzy, 14.

 

"I thought that when we got the game to within six at halftime that we were in real good shape," LaDue said. "There was no need to panic at that time - I thought we'd be alright."

 

The Panthers opened the game by outscoring the Saints 20-3. North Country went on a 12-0 run of its own, to pull within five, and finished the half trailing 35-29.

 

Albany Pharmacy, however, pushed that lead to 12 quickly in the second half.

 

"I didn't think that they'd shoot as well as they did," LaDue said. "I have to give them credit. They stepped up and hit a lot of shots."

 

Al Miller (Fort Pierce, Florida) and John Reed (Ogdensburg, NY) did their best to pull North Country back, but the Saints would get only as close as five the rest of the half.

 

Miller scored a game-high 30 points for North Country. Reed added 14 points while Ben Walker (New Smyrna Beach, Florida) finished with 10.

 

The Saints will wrap up their season next weekend with a home game against Hudson Valley on Friday at 7 p.m. and on the road in Schenectady on Saturday at 3 p.m.

 

"We have until Tuesday to be upset about this game," LaDue said. "Then we have to get back to work.

 

"We really need to get better against the zone. It's been our Achilles heel all semester."

 

 

All-Tournament

The All-Tournament team from the Northern Independents Conference includes Word of Life's Filler; Jones and Adamchick from Albany Pharmacy; Barnes of Clinton; and Walker from North Country.

 

The Saints' Miller was named Most Valuable Player.

 

Filler and Adamchick were also selected as co-scholar athletes of the year.

 

Championship

 

Albany Pharmacy 79, North Country 62

 

North Country C.C. (62)

 

Miller 11-3-30, DuPont 2-0-5, Walker 4-2-10, Polke 0-0-0, Reed 6-2-14, McDonell 1-0-2, Cameron 0-0-0, Washington 0-1-1. Totals: 24-8-62.

 

Albany Pharmacy (79)

 

Adamchick 8-1-18, Bratek 7-1-15, Balian 3-3-9, Jones 4-6-16, Ramzy 6-2-14, Mehany 0-0-0, Samuel 2-3-7, Zalewski 0-0-0. Totals: 30-16-79.

 

Halftime: Albany Pharmacy, 35-29.

 

3-point goal: North Country C.C. (6) Miller 5, DuPont. Albany Pharmacy (4) Adamchick, Jones 2.

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