By Rob Potter
LOCH SHELDRAKE — January 28, 2011 — The Sullivan County Community College Generals opened up the second half of their season on a positive note on Tuesday night.
The Generals defeated the Orange County Community College Colts, 73-63, in a Mid-Hudson Conference game at the Paul Gerry Fieldhouse.
SCCC held a 36-33 lead at halftime. The Colts took a 38-35 advantage in the first minute of the second half when Anthony Martin scored, was fouled and made his free throw.
Sophomore forward Jordan Thorpe evened the score at 38-38 for the Generals with 18:19 to go.
A minute later, teammate Bobby Jones scored on a fast break to give the home team a 40-38 lead.
SCCC maintained the advantage for the rest of the way, extending it to as much as 16.
Cleanthony Early gave the Generals that 16-point lead of 60-44 when he dunked with 7:07 remaining.
Anthony finished with a double-double of 29 points and 16 rebounds to lead the SCCC offense. Frankie Drayton had 13 points and Marvin Jean also reached double figures with 11 points.
Thorpe finished the game with seven points.
“It was a terrific win to start off the new semester,” said SCCC Coach Kevin DeVantier, adding that the Generals had not played a game in about six weeks. “They [OCCC] have a very good team that is well-coached.”
DeVantier noted the play of Anthony in particular.
“This is his sixth straight game with 25-plus points,” DeVantier said of the freshman center. “He’s tough to guard inside and he’s strong.
“Frankie Drayton had a good game for us and Marvin Jean had some good baskets,” DeVantier added.
“We have a stretch of 11 games in 24 days, so we need to be consistently good,” DeVantier said.
With the victory, SCCC improved its record to 14-4 overall, 5-0 in the Mid-Hudson Conference and 6-1 in National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region XV.
OCCC had a balanced offense as four players finished in double figures. Anthony Martin and Amemou Jean-Baptiste each scored 14 points, Marquis Lee had 11 points and Cody Williams netted 10 points.
“It was a tough loss,” OCCC Coach Tom Rickard said. “One key reason they beat us is two words: Cleanthony Early.”
Rickard noted that his team played well in the first half, but “kind of disappeared in the second half.”
He also noted that while Anthony had a big game, the Generals have a good team.
“Kevin [DeVantier] does a great job with them,” Rickard said.
Rickard noted that the Colts, which now have an overall record of 17-3 on the season, will focus on reaching the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region XXI tournament.