Blazers Open Second Round of Conference with Win

IRVING, Texas – Dallas College North Lake overcame a five-point halftime deficit for an 86-78 win over Dallas College Cedar Valley Saturday in the Blazer Dome to open the second round of Dallas Athletic Conference play.

The win was the third straight on the court for the Blazers, who are receiving votes in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III rankings, following a forfeit win over Grayson College to start the new year.

Adonai Rezene and Autavius Hobbs each scored 20 points for the Blazers, who trailed 41-36 at halftime after Cedar Valley's Marcel Hurst hit an uncontested beyond-halfcourt shot to beat the buzzer. Hurst had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Kendall Mitchell finished with 19 points, four assists, two steals an a block for the Suns (7-11, 1-5 DAC).

Alex Gilmore's basket around the 6:30 mark in the first half gave North Lake (9-12, 4-2) a three-point lead. Mitchell scored the next two baskets for the Suns to tie it at 29, and Tochi Anusiem's lay-in with 4:50 remaining in the half put Cedar Valley ahead, 31-29. Armani Reese, who had nine points, 11 boards and two blocks, scored on a dunk off a turnover to extend the Suns' lead five. After Rezene hit one of his four triples to pull the Blazers within two inside the last minute, Hurst buried the beyond-halfcourt buzzer beater.

Gilmore scored a season-high 19 points in his best game as a Blazer.

Cedar Valley, which hit 6 of 25 triples, opened up an eight-point lead early in the second half before Gilmore scored on a couple putbacks to pull North Lake within, 49-47. Rezene's tip-in tied it at 51, and his 3-pointer gave the Blazers a 54-53 lead 5:39 into the second half.

Mitchell scored on a scoop lay-in at the 10:33 mark to shift the lead back to Cedar Valley, 59-58. Anusiem used his soft touch on a baseline jumper with 9:27 remaining to extend the lead to three. North Lake's Justin Whitmore hit a step-back jumper with the shot clock wearing down to put the Blazers in front by one during an 8-0 run. The Suns whittled a five-point deficit down to two on Hurst's putback, but David Clower scored on a baseline drive with 4:26 to go to pad the lead back to four for the Blazers.

Clower had seven of his nine points in the second half.

With 3:35 to play, Mitchell converted a three-point play to bring Cedar Valley, which hit 29 of 57 shots for 51 percent, to cut the gap to 72-71. Gilmore scored on a feed from Rezene near the 3:00 mark to stretch North Lake's lead back to five. Hobbs hit a step-back fadeaway to give the Blazers a two-possession lead, and Gilmore scored on an inbounds pass from Hobbs in the last minute to make it a six-point game that even Mitchell's two free throws weren't enough to overcome down the stretch.

North Lake made 17 of 23 free throws for 74 percent. Cedar Valley was 14 of 22 for 63.6 percent.

Josh Beall scored eight of his 12 points in the second half for the Suns, who will host No. 8 Dallas College Richland (13-7, 5-1) at 6 p.m. Wednesday. North Lake plays at Dallas College Mountain View (9-12, 2-4) Wednesday.