After three-straight road games, the Carthage College men's basketball team (8-14, 2-9 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) returned home on Wednesday, Feb. 10 but lost to No. 18 North Central College (17-6, 10-2 CCIW), 95-77, at Tarble Arena in Kenosha, Wis.  The Cardinals remain tied for second place in the league, while the Red Men have lost 10 of their last 11 games. 
 
North Central took  a five-point lead, 24-19, at 9:27 first half.  Following seven lead changes and three ties, Carthage took a 31-30 lead at 6:45 and remained on top or tied for the rest of the half.  The Red Men led by as much as seven points in the period, 41-34, at 4:05 and led by six at halftime, 47-41.  Carthage shot a blistering 62 percent in the first period (18-of-29), including five-of-10 from three-point range, with Sean Valentine scoring 16 first-half points on six-of-eight field goals.
 
North Central just couldn't miss in the second half.  The Cardinals shot an unbelievable 75 percent in the second period (18-of-24), including six-of-seven three-pointers.  Carthage had an eight-point lead, 51-43, at 8:33, and its last lead in the game was 58-57 at 13:47.  North Central took over, for good, 59-58, at 13:07 and never looked back.  Starting at 13:47, the Cardinals took off on a 22-3 run that put them up by 18 points, 79-61, at 7:13.  North Central led by as much as 22 points in the second half, 87-65, at 4:58 and went on to win by 18, 95-77.
 
North Central shot 58 percent for the game (30-of-52), including 10-of-14 from three-point range, while Carthage shot 52 percent (27-of-52), including seven-of-23 three-pointers. The Cardinals got to free-throw line 29 times and made 25, while the Red Men connected on 16-of-26.  North Central had a 31-24 rebounding advantage.
 
Four Cardinals scored in double figures, with Erwin Henry leading the way with 19 points on seven-of-10 field goals, along with five-of-five free throws, six rebounds and three assists.  Kevin Honn came off the bench to score 16 points on six-of-11 shooting, including three-of-four from three, along with five boards.  Alex Sorenson had 14 points, and Connor Raridon added 12 points.
 
Four Carthage players also scored in double figures, with Sean Valentine (Sr., Cary, Ill./Crystal Lake-Prairie Ridge) connecting for a game-high 21 points on seven-of-11 field goals, including two-of-five three-pointers, along with five-of-six free throws and four rebounds.  Brad Kruse (So., Hawthorn Woods, Ill./Lake Zurich) scored 15 points on six-of-seven shooting, along with five rebounds.  Kiston Lee (Sr., Decatur, Ill./MacArthur) had 14 points on six-of-10 from the floor, along with six boards, and Mike Stevenson (Jr., Burlington, Wis./Wilmot-Union) came off the bench to add 11 points.
 
"This game was sort of snapshot of the whole season," said Carthage coach Bosko Djurickovic.  "I thought we had a good game plan tonight, and we played very well in the first half.  We got off to a reasonable start in the second half, but once things start to snowball downhill, it gets tough for us because we don't one guy to really go to.  We have a decent group of guys who try hard and play together, but it's not enough.  North Central hit the three, and they hit their free throws, and that's going to put most teams in trouble.  I have no problem with our effort in the first 30 minutes—we just let it get away in the second half.  That's a credit to North Central.  They have a good basketball team."
 
Carthage closes out its home schedule by playing host to Wheaton College (Ill., 5-18, 1-11 CCIW) on Saturday, Feb. 13 in a 7 p.m. game, also at Tarble Arena.  The Thunder were a 59-55 loser at Millikin University on Wednesday.  "Wheaton is sort of in the same boat as we are," said Djurickovic.  "We need to be ready to go and try to win our last two games."