By Rob Potter
LOCH SHELDRAKE November 17, 2006 Although they had not played a game in 10 days, the Sullivan County Community College Generals picked up right where they left off by winning.
On Tuesday night, the Generals returned to Paul Gerry Fieldhouse on the SCCC campus for a Region XV game against the visiting Ulster County Community College Senators. The Generals grabbed a double-digit lead midway through the first half and rolled to a 80-43 victory.
The contest was SCCC’s first since beating host SUNY Delhi in the championship game of the Broncos’ Invitational on November 4.
SCCC, which is the top-ranked National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III team in the country, improved to 4-0 overall and 1-0 in Region XV play. Ulster CC dropped to 1-3 overall.
A 3-pointer by Generals’ freshman Bertram McDowell with 19:16 remaining in the opening half broke a 2-2 tie and gave SCCC a lead it would not relinquish.
Leading the Generals to victory were sophomores Jason Johnson and Kelvin “Petey” Nelson.
Johnson, a 6-foot-8 center, recorded a triple-double of 13 points, 12 rebounds and 11 blocked shots. Nelson, a 6-2 guard, scored a game-high 20 points.
Sophomore forward Michael Hines netted 19 points and freshman James Morgan added 11 points for the Generals.
“Ulster is a good team that always comes in here and plays us tough,” SCCC Coach Chris DePew said. “You know they are going to be ready to play.”
DePew also liked the way his squad was ready to compete.
“It’s still early in the season, but this is a great group of players,” he said.
“Jason had a great game, blocking shots,” DePew added. “Bertram shot the ball well and Petey had a good game.”
Recardo Langston was the top scorer for the Senators. The freshman forward had 12 points.
Ulster Coach Corey Chambers noted that Johnson’s presence down low made a big difference in the contest.
“Several times we drove the lane and he threw it out of there,” said Chambers, noting Johnson’s shot-blocking ability.
“Sullivan has a great program,” Chambers added. “They have a very good team this season and are very well-coached.”
Chambers also noted that his players “kept hustling and played hard until the end [of the game].”
Note: The Generals were scheduled to host Passaic Community College last night at Paul Gerry Fieldhouse.