POTSDAM, N.Y.—SUNY Canton (2-0) defeated SUNY Poly (1-2) 56-40 in the championship game of the North Country Invitational Men's Basketball Tournament on Saturday afternoon. In the consolation contest, Clarkson University (1-3) rallied to down the SUNY Potsdam men's basketball team (0-4) 66-60. Bears freshman Dante Langley (Schuylerville, N.Y./Schuylerville) was named to the all-tournament team.
 
Potsdam opened the game with a 12-6 run, punctuated by a Langley 3-pointer at 15:15. The Golden Knights answered with a 9-0 stretch, including two threes from sophomore guard Tom Nuttle (East Aurora, N.Y./Nichols School), to grab a 15-12 lead with 9:03 left in the half. Bears senior guard Joe Estramonte (Greenwich, N.Y./Greenwich) immediately answered with his own three and freshman forward Nate Wyatte (Brooklyn, N.Y./Grand Street Campus) followed with another to make it 18-15 Potsdam at 7:42. Hot shooting behind the arc sparked a 14-1 run and Clarkson led 29-19 with 2:25 left. The teams battled evenly the rest of the half and the Golden Knights took a 32-24 lead into the locker room.
 
Clarkson slowly extended its lead to 13 over the first seven minutes of the second half. A layup from senior guard Jeremy Liss (Vestal, N.Y./Vestal) made it a 43-30 contest at 13:21. Potsdam rallied with a 9-1 run capped by an Estramonte three and a dunk from freshman forward Tyrone Adeyeye (Brooklyn, N.Y./Benjamin Banneker) cut it to 44-39 with 8:02 on the clock. The Golden Knights were able to squelch the Bears' momentum and built the lead back to 11 over the next five minutes. A layup from Potsdam sophomore forward Josh Blagrove (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Ford) with 15 seconds left trimmed Clarkson's lead to 64-60, but the Bears ran out of time.
 
Estramonte led all scorers with 16 points, while Langley finished with 15 points and eight rebounds. Blagrove contributed 10 points and seven rebounds. Junior forward Derek Hart (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./FDR) led the Golden Knights with 13 points and junior forward Drew Zlogar (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) had 12.
 
Canton-SUNY Poly Box Score
 
The championship started with a pretty alley-oop pass from Canton junior guard Sam Annorh (Queens, N.Y./Pathways College) to junior forward Romario Fletcher (Queens, N.Y./Pathways College), who dunked it 13 seconds into the game. Just 35 seconds later, sophomore forward Walt Jeter (Fort Drum, N.Y./Carthage) drained a three for a 5-0 Roos lead. Canton never trailed. Despite the explosive start, both offenses struggled. The Kangaroos added just three free throws over the next five minutes and SUNY Poly didn't get on the board until a free throw at the 13:03 mark. A layup from sophomore center Tyler Taverne (Westmoreland, N.Y./Westmoreland) capped a 7-0 answer from the Wildcats, but they never got any closer. Jeter hit another three with 24 seconds left in the half and Canton led 28-21 at the break.
 
SUNY Poly senior guard Michael Boyea (Chateauguay, N.Y./Chateauguay) dropped in a layup at 17:25 of the second half to get the Wildcats within 30-27, but it was all Kangaroos after that. Canton went on a 24-7 tear after the basket to make it a 54-34 lead with 2:53 remaining. SUNY Poly scored six of the final eight points of the game before falling 56-40.
 
Jeter led Canton with 10 points, while Annorh added nine and freshman guard Adrian Williams (Brooklyn, N.Y./Brooklyn Collegiate) had eight. Taverne paced the Wildcats with 13 points and 12 boards. Junior forward Terrynce Wilson (Bronx, N.Y./South Bronx) just missed a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds.
 
Canton senior guard Kam Peterkin (Harlem, N.Y./Man. Center for Sci. and Math) was named the tournament's most valuable player.
 
The Bears are now off until Dec. 1, when they host Clarkson University again.
 
All-Tournament Team
Derek Hart – Clarkson
Dante Langley—Potsdam
Terrynce Wilson—SUNY Poly
Walter Jeter—Canton
Kam Peterkin—Canton –Most Valuable Player