NLC takes Lamar
State by 19 points

For once, Friday the thirteenth was not such a bad day for the North Lake Blazers. The men's basketball team rebounded from a four-game losing streak when the Blazers hosted the Lamar State College Seahawks on Jan. 13.

Entering the game as the number four-ranked team in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III poll, the Blazers unleashed an onslaught that overwhelmed the Seahawks in a 66-47 win.

However, after losing four games on the road in Waco and Missouri - the longest string of losses since the season started in November, Blazers Head Coach Tim McGraw could not be complacent.

"I thought they gave us a good game. We shot the balls a little better than they did," McGraw said.

In the first half, North Lake started sluggish against Lamar State. The Seahawks hit the scoreboard first, but for the first 8.5 minutes the score was very close.

The Blazers started picking up the pace and went on a 14-2 run to log the team's biggest lead of the first half at 26-12 with 5:20 minutes remaining. But after a time out with 2:48 left in the first half, Lamar State rallied to cut North Lake's lead and closed the gap to within three points. North Lake took a 30-27 lead over Lamar State at halftime.

"We played well until we got tired, when we let them catch up with us," McGraw said. North Lake opened up the second half with more confidence. Nevertheless, in the first three minutes into the second half, Lamar State managed to hold off North Lake when the Blazers only led 35-32. However, that was as close as the Seahawks got for the rest of the game.

After sophomore Chris Agwumaro was fouled, North Lake scored a number of unanswered points and gave the team a 64-41 advantage with 4:10 remaining in the second half. The Seahawks trailed throughout the remainder of the game. The Blazers closed up the game with a 19-point win.

"In the second half, I thought we were more determined. I thought that was good," McGraw said.

Lamar State's Head Coach Don Bryson attributed his team's loss to its inability to get inside the paint and to his players' poor perimeter shooting. A lack of experience is another reason.

"They made some shots and we didn't. We didn't take care of the business," Bryson said. "It's only our second year. We couldn't beat an established program overnight, especially a good one like North Lake's."

Two North Lake Blazers scored in double digits, including sophomores Preston McCarter (23) and Chris Agwumaro (19) while sophomore Lorenzo Anthony recorded 8 points. Lamar State's Kody Becnel tallied nine points while his teammates Marlon Hill and Kevin Charles each chipped in eight points.

The game was televised on Comcast Cable's Channel 15 in Irving by Irving Community Television Network (ICTN). According to the ICTN producer, Scott Snyder, the Blazers game is broadcast on the network once a year.