BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Top 10 showdown between #5 Northampton and #10 Montgomery came down to the last possession on Thursday night, with the Spartans able to fend off a last second 3-point shot by the Mustangs to secure a dramatic, 76-74, win at the Arthur L. Scott Center.

The Spartans trailed the majority of the first half and found their way right before the intermission, jumping out front of the Mustangs at half-time, 37-31. Both teams put forth a hard fought effort in the second half with the Spartans being able to extend their lead to 59-46 with just over 8 minutes remaining. With 3:00 minutes remaining in the contest, the Spartans looked to be in control with a 10 point lead, 72-62, and then saw their lead slowly start to dwindle. The Spartans, with 1:34 remaining in the game found themselves ahead by just three points, 74-71. In a dramatic finish, with the Spartans leading, 76-74, and with 17.1 seconds remaining, a 5 second violation gave the ball back to the Mustangs and set up the last possession. The Spartans defense was able to come through again in the waning seconds and secure the win over the Mustangs.

"Another tough game and a good win," stated Head Coach Brennan McCarthy, "Always a batlle when two good teams lock up in our Region and that is exactly what we saw tonight. I give our guys a lot of credit for how we battled and how we stayed focused and finished right to the end. That seems to be the theme right now. We will just keep working hard and get ready for the next one."

Sophomore Kevin Rucker (Philadelphia, PA/Monsignor Bonner Prendergast) led the Spartans with a game-high 22 points while also grabbing 4 rebounds and shooting 8-11 from the charity stripe. Aiden Brown (Philadelphia, PA/Math Civic and Science Charter) scored a season-high 20 points with 11 boards for his third double-double of the season. Brown was also 6-8 from the free throw line. Mekhi Shillingford (Philadelphia, PA/Penn Wood High School) scored 12 points and had 7 rebounds. Ermil Fleurinvil (Reading, PA/Downey Christian School) scored 7 points off the bench.

The 12 game unbeaten streak is the best start to a campaign under Head Coach Brennan McCarthy. In his 12th season, McCarthy owns a career mark of 216-83.

The Spartans improve to 12-0 overall and 8-0 in Region 19.

The Mustangs are now 5-2 overall and 4-1 in the Region.

The Spartans will be back in action on Tuesday, December 16th when they travel to Philadelphia for a Region 19 showdown with Community College of Philadelphia at 7pm at the PE Center (CCP).