A pair of free throws with 4.7 seconds left were the difference Sunday as Tompkins Cortland dropped a heartbreaker to North Country Community College, 70-68. Tompkins Cortland is now 3-7 overall and 3-6 in Region III. North Country 6-4 overall and 5-4 in region.
The Panthers opened the scoring on a 3-pointer by Phillip Harris (Brooklyn/Research and Service H.S.) in the first minute and didn't relinquish the lead the rest of the first half. Led by 13 points from Derek Brower (Queens/Half Hollow Hills West H.S.), the home team pushed the lead o as many as 13 points before heading to the locker room leading 37-27.
Tompkins Cortland held on to the lead nearly the entire game. The first tie cam at 64-64 with 1:42 left on the clock, and North Country's first lead came 32 seconds later at 66-64. A pair of free throws by Brower tied the game at 66-66 with 59.6 seconds left, but the Saints quickly came back and scored to lead 68-66. The next possession produced a missed 3-pointer for the Panthers, but Marven Louissaint (Brooklyn/Erasmus Hall H.S.) worked for the rebound and put-back, tying the score again with 27 seconds left. With the score knotted at 68-68, the Saints held for the last shot, drawing a foul on a drive with 4.7 seconds left. When the Saints player converted both free throws, the Panthers needed to go the length of the court to have a chance. After a bobble claimed a couple ticks, the desperation heave from just inside half court fell short as the horn sounded and the Saints celebrated.
In an even match that saw the two teams record similar stats in most categories, including the exact same number of rebounds, the biggest disparity was from the foul line. The visiting Saints made 23-of-30 from the charity stripe while the Panthers went to the line just 19 times, making 12. In the second half the difference was astounding - North Country went to the line 21 times, making 19, while the home team went to the line just 4 times, making 2.
Brower finished the game as the leading scorer with 18 points while Louissaint was right behind with 17 points along with 10 rebounds. Jaiden Allen (Marlboro/Marlboro H.S.), Devonte Henry (Brooklyn/Boys and Girls H.S.), and Phillip Harris (Brooklyn/Research and Science H.S.) each had 10 points.
The game with North Country is the final one of the semester for the Panthers. After a break for finals and the holidays, the Panthers will return to the court January 11 at SUNY Broome.