Blazers Bow Out at National Tournament

HERKIMER, N.Y. – Dallas College North Lake men's basketball team's season came to an end Friday in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III consolation semifinals, following a gutwrenching 53-51 loss to College of DuPage.

Sophomore Darion Jones scored with 11 seconds left to pull North Lake (25-8) within one. The Blazers were forced to foul, sending DuPage's Drew Gaston to the line. He hit the front end of the one-and-one with nine seconds to go, and missed the second. North Lake Jakob Zenon grabbed the rebound on the second shot, but the Blazers were whistled for an offensive foul, and the Chaparrals (22-14) prevailed.

North Lake outscored DuPage, 31-14, in the first half. But the Chaparrals flipped the switch in the second half, outscoring the Blazers, 39-20.

DeKyre Fuller's three-pointer 36 seconds into the second half gave North Lake a 34-14 lead. DuPage, a school from Glen Ellyn, Illinois, scored the next nine points to cut the deficit to 11 on Finn Walsh's basket. Jones' layup with 15:18 remaining kept North Lake ahead 12. Walsh's 3-pointer at the 9:21 mark cut it to seven. Matt Elliott sank two of three free throws as the Chaps pulled within 41-36.

After a pair of free throws by Gaston trimmed North Lake's lead to three, Jones canned a triple with 6:45 to go push the Blazers up, 44-38. Gaston knocked down a jumper, and Elliott made a 3 with 4:49 remaining to tie it at 49-49. After North Lake's Randy Woolf and Gaston traded baskets to keep the score deadlocked, Gaston hit a triple at the 2:40 mark to give the Chaparrals their first lead.

Zenon buried a 3 with 1:18 to go, knotting the score at 49-49. Gaston sank two free throws on DuPage's next possession as the Chaps reclaimed the lead to set up the frenzied finish.

DuPage recovered from an 11-0 hole after missing its first eight shots.

Jones finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and a steal in his final game as a Blazer. Zenon had 12 points, seven boards and a steal. Fuller and Woolf each had six points, and Ring Deng five points and four rebounds. Da'Ryan Williams had five rebounds and a block in his final game.

Elliott had 17 of his 19 points in the second half, and pulled down seven rebounds. Gaston scored all 13 of his points in the second half. Walsh had eight of his 12 points after the break, and grabbed nine boards.

The Blazers struggled shooting for the second straight day, going 20 of 71 from the field, and 6 of 28 from the three-point line. The Chaparrals were 17 of 46.

North Lake's bench outscored DuPage, 16-6.

The Blazers, making their second straight national tournament appearance, were ranked No. 2 in the country the last six weeks of the season.