NIAGARA FALLS — The hustle was back in the Wolvearena on Friday night.

A relentless, overpowering defense drove the Niagara Falls boys basketball team to a runaway 52-23 rout of North Tonawanda.

“We’re getting our swagger back,” Niagara Falls coach Sal Constantino said. “Defensively, we’re getting it back. They’re a good team. They have 10 wins. But we really clamped down and did a nice job. I’m really pleased with our effort.”

Dismantling the No. 3 team in the Niagara Frontier League is one thing, but the hustle in the Wolverines’ game was more than just on defense. The ruse, the slight of hand the team had shown so often in its first 12 years was back on display against the Lumberjacks.

A 13-6 Falls lead after one quarter was erased as North Tonawanda used a quick 8-2 run to pull within a point. With five minutes left in the second quarter, the game was up for grabs.

“When it was 15-14, I had a good feeling that we could have had a nice back-and-forth game,” North Tonawanda coach Ryan Mountain said. “But the Falls, when they crank it on, they’re the best.”

Niagara Falls (11-4, 10-1 NFL)  finished the second quarter on a 12-0 run and allowed just nine points in the final 21 minutes of a game in which they never trailed. The Wolverines didn’t allow a shot in the third quarter until the 4:52 mark. The Jacks’ lone basket of the frame, a Corey Mis shot inside, fell with 3:16 to play.

North Tonawanda (10-5, 8-3 NFL) didn’t score again until Mis (seven points) hit with 4:10 left in the fourth.

“That long drought was probably the longest I’ve ever experienced as a coach,” Mountain said. “It definitely was Niagara Falls’ night, and they earned it.”

The space between Mis’ baskets was filled with turnovers and pressure at every turn. Big blocks, deflected passes and fast-break points turned a one-point game into a 20, then 30-point Wolverines lead.

“We know that defense will start our offense, but the kids have really bought in,” Constantino said. “The score is the score, but our effort is getting there again.”

Junior forward Jermaine Crumpton led the Wolverines with 19 points, highlighted by a diving steal and layup to start the third quarter. The 6-foot-4 Crumpton dove past Ryan Bradt near the Wolverines bench, keeping the ball inbounds and fighting through a foul for the eventual 3-point play.

“He’s stating to be that guy that we know he can be,” Constantino said. “He can be that monster in the post. Things are really starting to look up for us. I think we’ll be a tough team to handle down the road.”

Crumpton said the Wolverines, who had lost their second ever league home game to Ken West a week ago, were starting to get back on track.

“We just haven’t been playing our game since we came back from Erie,” Crumpton said, referring to a pair of losses in the Burger King Classic in mid-January. “We’ve been a little sluggish and we just have to pick up the intensity on defense and get easy buckets.”

NOTES: The Wolverines raised more than $700 for Women & Children’s Hospital in Buffalo on Friday, donating $5 for every point scored and collecting money through t-shirt sales and donations. ... J.J. Wilkins had 11 points for the Wolverines, including two straight 3-pointers assisted by Ramir Burton. He then finished a traditional 3-point play on the Falls’ next possession.

Contact sports reporter Ryan Nagelhout at ryan.nagelhout@niagara-gazette.com or 282-2311 ext. 2262.