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NANTICOKE — A standout performance from the Luzerne County Community College defense helped weather a rocky start on Thursday, as the Trailblazers held off Lehigh Carbon Community College 72-64.
LCCC needed seven minutes to score their first field goal, and were plagued by turnovers at different points throughout the game, but the defense made sure that Lehigh Carbon had no better luck with their own offense.
“We switched from a zone, and went to a full-court man-to-man, and it seemed to bring the intensity up,” LCCC coach Ron Strothers said. “We needed a spark, we were struggling on offense. … We got some steals, some transition baskets which led to good offense.”
The 64 points allowed by LCCC on Thursday marked the second-lowest scoring output given up by them this season — only ahead of the 51 points the Trailblazers held Lehigh Carbon to the first time these teams tangled last month.
A mix of turnovers and missed shots was the story early on, and it was with 13:13 left in the first half that LCCC’s Francois Rountree came in off the bench and scored the team’s first bucket, a three-pointer.
It proved a spark for the Trailblazer offense, which began to come to life. Rountree would be a huge part of LCCC’s game plan at both ends of the court, providing a huge boost of energy for his team and for the crowd gathered for Thursday’s game, which was also locally televised.
“Being one of the older guys, I have to be that kind of sparkplug,” Rountree said.
He would finish with 13 points, second on the team behind center Jonathan Daniels, who had 17. In all, LCCC had four in double-figures, and all but one of the nine Trailblazers that saw the court Thursday scored at least two points.
LCCC led by six at the half, but Lehigh Carbon was able to keep up and take the lead a few times in the second half, but could never sustain enough offense to build up a substantial advantage.
AJ Rouse led Lehigh Carbon with 24 points, 18 in the second half. Joshua Shepherd and A’quele Adderley each had 15, but they were both limited in the second half and inefficient with their shot selection.
The Trailblazers were able to put the game away with a big advantage at the free-throw line, making 24 free throws to just 12 for Lehigh Carbon.
“We shoot (free throws) every day in practice … it makes us concentrate a bit more,” Strothers said. “And it paid off here.”
The win marks the first time this season that LCCC has won consecutive games, following a win over Harrisburg Community College on Tuesday. The Trailblazers (5-15, 3-9 EPAC) will be back at home on Saturday against Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology.
For a program revived after a few years dormant due to COVID-19, the Trailblazers are hoping that Thursday’s win — in front of a nice crowd and a TV audience — is another step in the right direction.
“This is the one we’ve been waiting for, for awhile,” Rountree said. “Coach told us it was going to be a big one, everyone coming out with their cameras and everything, so we definitely had to get the job done.”
Men’s Basketball
LCCC 72, Lehigh Carbon Community College 64
LEHIGH CARBON (64) — Rouse 7 6-6 24, Adderley 5 5-10 15, Abram 0 0-0 0, Shepherd 6 1-2 15, Bonsu 0 0-0 0, Joseph-Davis 2 0-2 4, Johnson 1 0-1 2, Aybar 1 0-0 2, Wilt 1 0-0 2. Totals 23 12-21 64.
LCCC (72) — Roundtree 4 4-4 13, Johnson 2 7-8 11, Beasley Jr. 1 3-4 5, Preston 0 0-0 0, Panchuta 3 1-3 7, Sullivan 0 2-2 2, Diallo 3 0-0 7, Daniels 6 5-8 17, Haneef 4 2-2 10. Totals 23 24-31 72.
Lehigh Carbon`29`35 — 64
Luzerne Co.`35`37 — 72
Three-point goals: LEH 5 (Rouse 4, Shepherd). LCCC 2 (Rountree, Diallo).