SARANAC LAKE – For the entire first half and part of the second, the North Country Community College men’s basketball team found itself in a see-saw battle with the nation’s fourth-ranked squad on Wednesday. But a 16-0 run by Herkimer put an end any Saints’ hopes of pulling off a big upset.

Utilizing a balanced attack on offense and a strong defensive effort in the second half, Herkimer pulled away to claim an 81-68 over North Country on the Saints home court.

Jamell Johnson paced the Generals with 26 points and three more teammates hit for double figures as Herkimer improved to 16-2 overall and 8-1 in Region III action. Herkimer came up big from long range, finishing with 11 3-pointers, and Johnson led the way with six. Daniel Owens also drained four shots from beyond the arc and finished with 15 points. Ken Woodard chipped in 11 points and Carson Murphy added 10 for the winners.

Frane Larose had the hot hand for the Saints, scoring a game-high 29 points and Langston Cooke added 21 in the loss.

Larose’s put back at the first half buzzer sent the teams into intermission tied at 40-40, and the Saints then grabbed a one-point lead early in the second half, jumping on top 46-45 following back-to-back field goals from in close by Larose and Cooke. Johnson then took over. The 6-2 sophomore from Rochester scored eight straight points to push the Generals to a 53-46 edge, and they never trailed after that.

The Saints did close the gap to 57-55 midway through the half, and that’s when Herkimer reeled off 16 unanswered points to take control. Owens got the run going on back-to-back 3-pointers.

“I thought North Country dictated things in the first half, but we played much tougher defense in the second half,” Generals head coach Matt Lee said. “North Country is a good shooting team, and they’re tough to stop when they start making shots. They didn’t make many in the second half.”

The Saints dropped to 10-8 overall and 8-7 in Region III play with the loss, but head coach Chad LaDue was pleased with his team’s effort against the bigger, more physical Generals.

“They have size and depth. They’re ranked fourth in the country for a reason,” LaDue said. “I’m not big on moral victories, but you have to put this into perspective. We got beat by a better team. Our guys, they’re getting better.”

North Country’s men will be back in action Saturday on the road at Mohawk Valley Community College, with the opening tipoff slated for 3 p.m.

Herkimer 81, North Country 68

Herkimer (81)

Galay 1-4-6, Murphy 3-4-10, Santillo 0-0-0, Johnson 9-2-26, Owens 4-3-15, Tarver 1-0-2, Woodard 5-1-11, Langhorne 1-2-4, Riascos 3-0-7. Totals: 27-16-81

North Country (68)

Larose 11-2-29, Cooke 9-2-21, Gullotta 0-0-0, Grcic 2-0-5, Santilus 2-2-6, Paulk 2-1-7, Ramsdell 0-0-0, Johns 0-0-0, Hussain 0-0-0, Alexis 0-0-0. Totals: 26-7-68.

Three-point goals: Herkimer (11), Johnson 6, Owens 4, Riascos. North Country (9), Larose 5, Cooke, Grcic, Paulk 2.

Halftime: 40-40.

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WOMEN’S?BASKETBALL

North Country 76, Herkimer 40

SARANAC LAKE – Playing in the first game of Wednesday’s home doubleheader, the North Country Community College women’s team stayed unbeaten with a 76-40 victory over Herkimer Community College.

The Saints surged out to a 40-19 halftime lead and were never threatened as they improved to 16-0 overall.

Sophomore Courtney Boyea, a Chateaugay graduate, paced NCCC with a game-high 17 points. Shaneika Smith added 16 points and Simone Roberts chipped in 12 in the victory. Ten players scored for the Saints, who are currently the second-ranked NJCAA, Division III team in the nation.

“I thought we shared the ball and we played tough defense like we always do,” Saints coach Jerrad Dumont said. “We got a lot of second-chance opportunities and that was one of our goals.”

Herkimer fell to 5-11 overall and 2-6 in Region III with the loss. Chelsea Jory led the Generals with 11 points and Emily Rexford added 10 in the setback.

The Saints next play Saturday on the road at Mohawk Valley Community College. They will kick off a men’s and women’s doubleheader starting at 1 p.m.

North Country 76, Herkimer 40

Herkimer (40)

Wallace 1-0-2, Rexford 4-0-10, Doolen 1-0-2, Griffin 1-0-2, Lazarus 0-0-0, Jenkins 2-1-5, Hardy 0-0-0, Jory 5-0-11, Tracy 3-0-6, Richards 0-2-2, Spicer 0-0-0. Totals: 17-3-40.

North Country (76)

Weyand 2-0-4, Fountain 1-2-4, Philippe 1-0-2, Roberts 5-0-12, LaPage 2-0-6, Boyea 7-0-17, Burgess 1-0-2, Smith 6-4-16, Bridges 2-0-4, Barnes 4-0-9, Fletcher 0-0-0, Higgins 0-0-0. Totals: 31-6-76.

Three-point goals: Herkimer (3), Rexford 2, Jory. North Country (8), Roberts 2, LaPage 2, Boyea 3, Barnes.