Jan 20, 2016
The North Central College men's basketball team carried the positive momentum from Saturday's overtime win at Illinois Wesleyan University into its contest against Carthage College on Wednesday, taking control early and running over the Red Men, 97-68, at Gregory Arena.
The 25th-ranked Cardinals (12-5, 5-1 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin) notched a season high in scoring for the second straight game and gave head coach Todd Raridon his 200th win on the North Central sideline. Raridon is the second coach to win 200 games with the Cardinals, joining Bill Warden '55, who compiled 204 wins from 1981-97.
The hosts dominated both ends of the court from the game's outset, limiting Carthage to 1 for 9 shooting in the first five minutes while taking a 14-2 lead. The Cardinals stretched their lead to 20 points with more than seven minutes still to play before halftime, and led by at least 19 points the rest of the period before taking a 47-23 lead into halftime. Alex Sorenson and Connor Raridon led the way with 16 and 13 points, respectively, while North Central held the Red Men to 23.5 percent shooting (8 of 34) from the floor in the opening 20 minutes.
The window never opened for Carthage (7-10, 1-5 CCIW) to make a comeback after the break, as the lead never dipped below 20 points the rest of the way and grew as large as 35 late in the contest. The Cardinals finished the game 39 of 75 shooting from the field and a perfect 10 of 10 at the free-throw line while dominating the glass to the tune of a 51-28 rebounding advantage.
Sorenson tied a season high with 27 points on 12 of 14 shooting and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds while blocking three shots. Raridon put up 17 points and handed out six assists, while Kevin Honn finished with 15 points and seven rebounds.
Jordon Kedrowski led Carthage with 16 points, while Drew Joiner put up 10 off the bench. The Red Men saw their lead in the all-time series against North Central trimmed to 62-61 after 123 meetings.
The Cardinals return to action Saturday, hosting second-ranked Elmhurst College. The Bluejays improved to 16-1 overall and 6-0 in the CCIW with a 91-88 overtime victory over North Park University on Wednesday. Tipoff at Gregory Arena is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.