Unable to protect a lead in the closing seconds, the Tompkins Cortland Community College men's basketball team suffered a heartbreaking loss in opening round of the NJCAA Region 3 playoffs on Saturday, falling to North Country Community College 67-64. The Panthers, the #9 seed in the playoffs, end the season with a record of 10-12. North Country, the #8 seed, advances to the quarterfinals against #1 Genesee Community College on Tuesday.
The game was back-and-forth early, with the Panthers holding an early lead before falling behind 31-24 with about five minutes left in the half. A 12-0 run that included a pair of 3-pointers from Cameron Thompson (Syracuse/Institute of Technology) put the Panthers in front at 36-31. A late three-pointer by the Saints cut the Tompkins Cortland lead to 36-34 at the half.
The second half again saw the teams trade the lead. The Panthers led 62-60 after a pair of free throws by Marven Louissaint (Brooklyn/Erasmus Hall H.S.) with three minutes remaining. Entering the final minute, North Country was holding a 63-62 lead. Justin Sykes (Harlem/Lyons Community School) put the Panther back in front with jumper with 39.7 seconds on the clock. A foul on the next possession sent the Saints to the free throw line, but a miss on the front end of a one-and-one returned the ball to the Panthers with 25.4 seconds left. After deflection went out of bounds, the Panthers had to inbound the ball with 18.6 seconds left. A turnover on the inbounds pass led to another foul. This time the Saints made both shots, putting the home team ahead 65-64 with 13.6 left. The Panthers had a good chance to reclaim the lead, but a questionable charge call ended the chance with 5.0 seconds left. A pair of free throws by North Country with four seconds left provided the final margin.
Logan Nordman (Onondaga/Onondaga H.S.) was the high scorer for the Panthers with 12 points. Sykes finished with 11 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds. Cristian Rosa (Yonkers/Lincoln H.S.) added 10 points and 4 assists. Louissaint ended up with a full stat sheet with 7 points, 5 rebounds, 5 steals, 4 blocks, and 3 assists.