Luke Paragon scored 26 points and Cicero-North Syracuse's boys basketball team knocked off Bishop Ludden, 63-52, in a battle of undefeated teams on Tuesday.
"It was a good performance," C-NS coach Kyle Martin said. "It was a slow-down game (due to foul trouble), but we found a way to win."
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Andrew Benedict chipped in 16 points for the Northstars. Robert Siechen added nine points.
For the Gaelic Knights, Chad Cook led all scorers with 29 points. Jaiden Holloman contributed eight points. Cicero-North Syracuse (4-0) is ranked No. 3 and Bishop Ludden (3-1) is No. 4 in Class AA in the latest syracuse.com media poll.
The Northstars and Knights were knotted at 16 following the first quarter. C-NS put together an 11-6 second quarter and led 27-22 at the half.
"The fouls in the first half really affected us," Martin said. "It made the game a little clunky, and we couldn't get our separation. (It was) more of a rock fight in this game."
The second half went smoother for the Northstars. C-NS outscored the Knights, 20-10, in the third quarter and kept Bishop Ludden at bay in the fourth.
"We avoided foul trouble, got out and ran more," Martin said. "We made some stops and began creating separation."
Paragon scored 18 of his 26 points in the second half. He was a perfect 9-of-9 from the free-throw line.
"Luke really put the team on his back and had some huge baskets," Martin said. "That's what a senior captain does."
