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GLENS FALLS – North Warren boys’ basketball head coach James Cuyler was able to celebrate his birthday on Saturday night with a Section II Class D championship victory over top-seeded Northville.
The Cougars overcame a rough start on offense to defeat the Falcons for the area crown, 46-33.
Northville allowed second-seeded North Warren to score just four points in the first quarter, but the roles were reversed in the second quarter, as the Cougars took control.
Although the Falcons hung around through the third quarter, North Warren dominated in the fourth to seal off the win.
“They’re a great group. This has been one of my most enjoyable years coaching and that’s what this part is so hard,” Northville coach John Karbowski said of his team. “I’m proud of them. Before they game I told them to go out and leave everything on the floor and that’s what they did.”
Jacob Frank did the bulk of the scoring for Northville, scoring 18 of the Falcons’ 33 points. He added eight rebounds and two steals.
Evan Tamulaitis tacked on nine points and nine rebounds, while JT Artikuski scored six and Andrew Cardone collected eight rebounds.
Frank and Artikuski were each named to the All-Tournament team.
Semaj Cuyler, a North Warren seventh grader, was named the tournament’s most valuable player after scoring 21 points in the contest. Sean Evans added seven points and five steals, and was named to the all-tournament team.
Derrick Tyrell scored six points with eight rebounds, and Cooper Morehouse added collected five points and six rebounds in the win.
Northville, the Class D runner-up for the second straight season, concluded its year with an overall record of 17-6.
“As a player, I always dreamed of playing here,” Karbowski said of the experience playing for a title at Cool Insuring Arena. “I never got that chance, and this is something that they’ll be able to take with them forever. The memories, win or lose, is something that they’ll be able to cherish for the rest of their lives.”
The Falcons will graduate eight seniors this year, two-thirds of their roster: Artikuski, Frank, Tamulaitis, Cordone, Landon Frasier, Chase Mitchell, Lance Edwards and Garrett Shepard.
“I could go right down the line. I think every single one of our guys stepped up at one point during the season and that’s what makes this group so special,” Karbowski said. “We have a handful of guys coming back. They’ve been here and they have the experience now. My hope is that they can bring some leadership next year.”
North Warren will await the Section VII Class D champion, who the Cougars face in a regional final on Friday.
North Warren 4 13 13 16 — 46
Northville 8 4 13 8 — 33
North Warren scoring: Cuyler 7-5-21, Horge 0-2-2, Hooper 1-0-3, Evans 2-2-7, Tyrell 2-2-6, Willette 1-0-2, Morehouse 2-1-5. Northville scoring: Artikuski 3-0-6, Frank 8-0-18, Tamulaitis 4-1-9. Team scoring: North Warren 15-12-46, Northville 15-1-33.
Categories: -Sports-, High School Sports
