North Lake Tops Cedar Valley in Closing Seconds

IRVING, Texas – Romiel Carter sank a free throw with 3.9 seconds left, lifting Dallas College North Lake men's basketball team to a 74-73 win over Dallas College Cedar Valley Wednesday night.

Carter scored 22 points, including 14 in the second half as the Blazers, who are receiving votes in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III rankings, came back from a six-point deficit in the final 1:27 to pull off the comeback.

North Lake (9-6, 2-1 Dallas Athletic Conference) remained within a game of first place in the league standings. The Blazers are off until Jan. 3 when they play at McLennan Community College.

Larry Lyons scored 20 points and eight rebounds, and Jordyn Johnson added 16 points for Cedar Valley, which fell to 3-12 overall, 0-3 in the DAC.

Johnson hit a corner 3-pointer with 3:02 remaining to give the Suns a four-point lead. Carter scored down low at the 2:48 mark to cut the gap to 69-67. J'Ylon Nobles hit a step-back jumper with 2:19 to play to put Cedar Valley back on top by four. Elijah Rouse converted a feed from Johnson to give the Suns a 73-67 lead with 1:27 to go.

North Lake's Elijah Black hit a pull-up jumper with 1:14 remaining to cut it to 73-69. Jayden Cruz came up with a steal with 55 seconds to play. That led to a basket by Zaedyn Owens on an inbounds pass from Black to shrink the deficit to two.

Black then tipped up a ball off a sideline inbounds pass for a steal, and sank two free throws with 32 seconds remaining to tie the game at 73. After Cedar Valley failed to convert on the offensive end, Carter was fouled and sank the first of two free throws in the final seconds. Ngozi Ofili subbed in and grabbed the offensive rebound after the second free throw to seal the win.

North Lake hit only one three-pointer. Cedar Valley canned 7 of 14 from behind the arc. The Blazers were 15 of 26 from the free throw line. The Suns went 10 for 17.

Cruz finished with 12 points. Black had 10. Jordan Edwards and Zach Thompson each had eight for the Blazers. Carter added 13 rebounds and three steals. It was his fourth double-double of the season, and the 13 boards matched his season high. Rouse scored 12 points, and Nobles had 11 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for the Suns.

Cedar Valley outscored North Lake 41-36 in the second half after the Blazers took a six-point lead into the intermission.