After a pair of tough road losses, Tompkins Cortland returned home and got back in the win column Saturday, beating Clinton Community College, . Tompkins Cortland is now 2-3 overall and 2-2 in regional play. Clinton is 2-3 overall and 1-3 in region.
Each team had runs early in the first half. After Clinton scored nine straight to take an 11-4 lead, but the Panthers answered with seven straight to tie it at 11-11. Late in the half it was an 8-2 run that gave the home team some space at the half, taking a 35-30 lead into the locker room. Early in the second half, the Panther pushed the lead to 20 points on the strength of a 15-4 spurt. The margin hovered around twenty most of the final 12 minutes, peaking at 24 points before settling in at the final 13-point win.
By the final horn, 14 different Panthers had scored, led by Jaiden Allen (Marlboro/Marlboro H.S.) with 17 points and Marven Loussaint (Brooklyn/Erasmus H.S.) with 14. Devonte Henry (Brooklyn/Boys and Girls H.S.) had a team-best seven rebounds and Gabriel Blenman (Brooklyn/George Westinghouse H.S.) recorded six steals.
The Panthers are back on the road Tuesday, opening Mid-State Athletic Conference play with a game at Jefferson Community College.