North Lake Outlasts Ridgewater, Setting up Semifinal Matchup with Richland

PHOTOS

HERKIMER, N.Y. – Dallas College North Lake men's basketball team beat Ridgewater College (Minn.) 89-82 Thursday night in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III quarterfinals at Herkimer College.

The win sends the sixth-ranked Blazers (23-10) on to Friday's 6 p.m. CT national semifinals, where they will meet fourth-ranked Dallas College Richland (22-9) in a game to send one of the Dallas Athletic Conference teams on to Saturday's national championship.

North Lake's Santana Spivey buried a clutch three-point field goal with 33 seconds remaining after Ridgewater (23-7) pulled within one on John Hooker's layup eight seconds earlier. Romiel Carter and Elijah Blank combined to make three free throws down the stretch, and the Blazers held on.

Spivey had 19 points and five rebounds, and knocked down 5 of 8 triples. Carter had 17 points, 12 boards, three steals and three assists. Zach Thompson finished with 16 points, nine rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals. He was 8 of 13 from the floor. Black had 10 points and seven assists, and made every shot he attempted. He was 6 for 6 at the free throw line and hit both of the field goals he attempted. Jordan Edwards scored 11 points, and grabbed five rebounds. Ja'Den Stiggers finished with nine points, four rebounds and four assists.

North Lake, which had 21 assists for the second consecutive game, built a 16-point lead with just under 3:00 in the first half. Edwards scored on a feed from Black, and sank a free throw to put the Blazers up 43-27. Ridgewater cut it to 10 twice over the remainder of the half before Spivey canned his third triple one second before the horn to send North Lake into the break leading 50-37.

Spivey scored 13 of his 19 in the first half, going 5 of 6 from the floor. Thompson and Carter both had eight first half points, and Stiggers seven.

North Lake was 23 of 33 from the free throw line. Ridgewater was 20 of 24. The Blazers outrebounded the Warriors 51-38.

Ridgewater's Tyrese Mayo had 21 points and six rebounds, and DeAndre Holloway 20 points and four blocks. Brenton McKinney finished with 17 points, five assists, four steals, four rebounds and a block. Hooker had 15 points, 10 rebounds and two steals, while hitting six of seven field goals.

The Blazers had 20 or more assists for the eighth time this season.