Notables -The largest lead for CSS was nine points-The Saints were outrebounded 38-26-North Central had four players score in double figures
DULUTH, Minn. (csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica men's basketball team lost a close game to North Central by a final score of 69-61 Saturday in the Reif Gymnasium.
The first five minutes of the game saw a back and forth effort by both teams with the score tied twice and the lead changed six times. It was not until the 14:43 mark that the first scoring run occurred. With the score set at 8-7 in favor of North Central,
Marc Peterson (Esko, Minn./Esko HS) sank a 3-point shot that sparked a 10-0 run for the Saints over a five minute span propelling the Saints ahead 17-8 with 9:34 remaining in the first half.
North Central would answer the 10-0 Saints run with a 12-3 run of their own that tied the game at 20 with 5:52 left in the half highlighted by a 3-pointer made by Cody Martin that put North Central just two points down.
Both teams would trade buckets for the remainder of the half and at the half CSS was down by two points at 30-28 after North Central made a basket with just six seconds left in the half.
The second half saw a very competitive game of basketball with no team really ever gaining a large advantage. CSS did take a six point lead just before the midway point in the half on an 8-2 run capped by a fastbreak layup by
Andrew Laughlin (Duluth, Minn./Duluth Central HS) that made the score 47-41 in favor of the Saints with 12:13 left in the game.
CSS would hold the lead gained by the 8-2 run up until the 7:50 mark in the game when North Central sunk a 3-pointer to take a 54-53 lead.
CSS would quickly regain the lead on a
Mike Spoden (Grand Rapids, Minn./Grand Rapids HS) layup making the score 55-54, but that would prove to be the last time the Saints would hold the lead as North Central finished the game on a seven minute 15-6 run that put the game out of reach for the Saints as they fell to North Central by a final score of 69-61.
Nathan Carlson (Alvarado, Minn./East Grand Forks HS) led the way for the Saints with 12 points and seven rebounds, while
Zach Dahlman (Braham, Minn./Braham HS) added 11 points and eight rebounds of his own.
CSS shot 43.1% from the field on 25-of-58 shooting while North Central shot 50.9% going 28-of-55 from the field.
CSS (5-9, 1-2 UMAC) will next be in action when they travel to Crown College next Friday with that game set to tip off at 7:30 p.m.
