BETHLEHEM, Pa. -  The top-seeded Northampton men's basketball team saw their dreams of a Region 19 Championship end on Saturday afternoon in the Arthur L. Scott Center, as they fell to #2 Brookdale, 90-84, in a heart-pounding championship battle. 

Northampton, which had won 19 straight games entering the championship game, fell behind by 17 midway through the first half, before cutting the margin to just 8 at halftime.

After allowing Brookdale to shoot 51.6% from the field in the opening half, the Spartan defense locked down in the second half, holding the Jersey Blues to just 36% from the field, as they battled back to cut the deficit to just 1, at 80-79, with 2:18 remaining. The Spartans had the ball, down two (86-84) with 20 seconds remaining, but they could not convert on their field goal attempt and were forced to foul, resulting in the final margin.

"Obviously, it is disappointing to lose in the Region championship game," stated Head Coach Brennan McCarthy, "but I can't fault the guys, they played so hard and I am so proud of their resolve.  They battled back from that first half deficit and gave us an opportunity to win at the end.  Brookdale is very good ... they were the number one in the country for a few weeks this season for a reason.  Overall, I thought it was a great battle between two very good teams."

Titus Wilkins (Easton, PA/Executive Education Academy Charter) led Northampton with 27 points, followed by Mike Marable (Harrisburg, PA/Susquehanna) with 20, CJ Miles (Bangor, PA/Bangor) with 13 and Tyrese Fuller (Harrisburg, PA/Central Dauphin) with 10 points and 12 rebounds. 

Darnell Askew, who earned MVP honors, led Brookdale with 26 points and 14 rebounds. 

Northampton falls to 28-3 with the loss, while the Jersey Blues, who have now won 14 straight, improve to 27-3 overall with the win. 

Brookdale will now advance to the NJCAA National Tournament in Herkimer, NY March 15-18th, while the Spartans will wait to see if they earn one of the four at-large bids to the national tournament.