North Country Boys Split Games

North Country’s boys basketball team split their games last week to make their record 2-3 in conference games, 3-8 overall. The Mavericks lost a 78-34 contest to Lustre Christian, the top-ranked Class C boys team in the state, in Saco Jan. 13, before taking a 74-37 victory in Frazer the following night.

Lustre took an early lead Friday night, outscoring North Country 19-8 in the opening quarter. The Mavericks rebounded with 12 points in the second but could not keep up with the Lions’ 23 points. North Country trailed 62-25 after three quarters and found themselves outscored again in the fourth, 16-9.

Blaine Downing led all scorers with 24 points, connecting on a three-pointer and 7-of-10 at the free throw line. Kade Strommen hit 3-of-5 at the line and added 5 points while Jake Brown hit a trey and Laytin Erickson added a bucket.

Both teams had 15 fouls. North Country held theirs to four in the second half. Downing and Erickson were each called for four while Strommen drew threw whistles. Coy Bowman and Andrew Boucher had two fouls a piece.

The Mavericks lit it up offensively in Frazer the next night, hitting double digits in each quarter. They led 17-13 after one quarter and increased that to 11-point margin by the half, 36-25. North Country controlled the court in the third with a 24-point showing while holding Frazer to 5 points. The Mavericks held the Bearcubs to 7 in the final eight minutes while adding 14 to their side of the scoreboard.

Three Mavericks hit double-digit scoring: Downing, Strommen and Brown. Dowing again led all scorers with 35 points, going 9-for-11 on bonus shots. Strommen hit 4-0f-7 free throws on his way to 18 points and Brown drained three treys in putting up 13 points. Coy Bowman added 8 for North Country.

Frazer ran into foul trouble with 18, while North Country held theirs to seven, four in the second half.

Downing drew three whistles. Austin Hanley, Brown, Kenan LaBrie and Erickson had one foul each.

North Country returns to action Friday, Jan. 20 in Dodson. The Mavericks have a boys JV half-game at 5 p.m. followed by the girls varsity game at 6 p.m. and a boys varsity tip off at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21, the Mavericks host Circle in Hinsdale for Senior Night. The girls JV game is at 1:30 p.m. followed by a boys JV half-game at 3 p.m. Varsity girls hit the hardwood at 4 p.m. and the varsity boys tip off at 5:30 p.m.