North Country freshman Damoni Wells takes flight past Herkimer’s Amber Been on the way to the hoop during the second half of Wednesday’s game in Saranac Lake. (Enterprise photo — Lou Reuter)

SARANAC LAKE — After being handed a three-point setback two nights before on the road against Herkimer, the North Country Community College women’s basketball team wasted little time taking care of business when the squads met up again in Saranac Lake on Wednesday.

In a rematch and a key Region III game at the Sparks Athletic Complex, the Saints stayed in control from start to finish during a 78-56 victory over the Generals.

Five players scored in double figures for North Country, which got back on track after losing two games in a row, including Monday’s 63-60 loss at Herkimer.

The Saints surged out to a 21-9 lead in the opening quarter and were never threatened on the way to improving to 10-1 in Region III play and 14-2 overall.

“I thought we had way more energy today,” Saints head coach Jerrad Dumont said. “We were way more into it, we shared the ball. We did exactly everything we did during the first semester, and I don’t think we did that the other day. I thought we missed a few chippies and a few layups, but overall, our energy was great; our energy from the bench, the people on the court, our defensive intensity.”

Point guard Talesa Campbell paced NCCC with a game-high 22 points, an effort which included five three-point field goals. Kayla Carder tossed in 18 for the winners, Lavender Ward added 14, Damoni Wells tossed in 11 and Dontasia Simpson chipped in 10 points.

North Country led 39-20 at halftime and drained another 39 points in the second half.

Brittani Campbell led Herkimer with 17 points and teammate Lexi DeBeatham added 12 points for the Generals, who now have two losses in Region III and are 11-3 overall.

Dumont praised Carder, the Saints sophomore all-American forward, for an outstanding effort keeping the team energized.

“There were probably five plays that most people wouldn’t realize that Kayla Carder hustled for an extra two seconds and got us an extra 10 points in this game,” Dumont said. “There were times when it looked like the ball was going out and she got us extra opportunities today. Her hustling, her ability to score inside and then step out and make the jumper is the reason she’s an all-American. She always steps up in big games for us, and that’s great.”

In addition to avenging Monday’s loss at Herkimer, the win was important in terms of keeping the Saints in the hunt for the No. 1 seed as the Region III playoffs get closer on the horizon. After falling on Monday, North Country’s women dropped from second to seventh in the NJCAA Division III national rankings, while Herkimer rose up into fourth place.

The Saints will be on the road Thursday to take on Division II Sullivan Community and then return home for another big game Saturday against Mohawk Community College starting at 1 p.m. Both teams head into that matchup with just one loss in Region III action.

“We’re heading down to Division II Sullivan to have a little fight with them in their gym,” Dumont said. “It’s just a little something to get us prepared because we haven’t played a ton of close games. I’m anxious to see how we respond after a big win today. Hopefully we can go down there, get a win, and come back ready for Saturday.”