The North Central Missouri College basketball teams had to fight their way through early deficits on Wednesday night at Penn Valley. The Lady Pirates came back and won their contest, 67-59. The men also battled their way back and forced overtime, but lost by two points in the final seconds of the game, 69-67.
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NCMC Women
Playing in Kansas City is always a tall order and Wednesday night was no different. The Lady Scouts built a 13-point lead midway through the first half.
“They shot very well in the first half and we didn’t respond to their energy,” Head Coach James Arnold said. “Early on we made one or two passes and then stopped moving on offense.”
North Central strung together a few baskets at the end of the half, cutting the lead to eight points. Amber Jordan kept the Lady Pirates within striking distance with 16 first-half points.
The Lady Pirates picked up the energy in the second half and with 13 minutes left to play, NCMC had the game tied up.
“The second half we were much sharper on offense and defense. We located shooters much better and got our hands up and contested them,” Arnold said. “On offense, our movement was much better and we were able to establish an inside game. Jillian (Palan) had 10 points, all in the second half.”
The Lady Pirates took control of the game during the final 10 minutes and went on to win by nine points.
Jordan led the team with 26 points and seven rebounds. Amber Vandevender had 10 points and eight assists. Palan finished with 10 points and Tiarra Johnson chipped in with six points, nine rebounds, five assists and four steals. Kristen Buhrmeister added six points and eight rebounds.
“We really have to understand that nobody cares how good you are supposed to be. We are going to get everybody’s best shot and to win on the road, you have to come to play,” Arnold said. “Overall, it was a quality win, although not pretty, in a very tough place to play.”
This is only the second win at Penn Valley for the Lady Pirates since 1999. NCMC improves to 19-3 overall and 4-0 in Region 16. The Lady Pirates return to action on Tuesday at Cottey College.
NCMC Men
Things did not begin well for the North Central men. The Pirates found themselves down 15-2 to begin the game. The Scouts led midway through the half, 23-8.
“In years past we would have thrown the playbook out and tried to get all the points back right now,” Head Coach Steve Richman said. “These guys stayed with the plan and kept fighting. I was very pleased with our defense and our overall energy.”
After trailing by as many as 18, the Pirates pushed their way to within two points at halftime, 30-28. The Pirates kept with their plan throughout the second half and with 45 seconds remaining tied the game at 61-61.
“Our defense was great. The first eight minutes of the game Penn Valley outplayed us, but after that I think the guys really played hard,” Richman said. “We had a chance to win it at the end of regulation, but again the ball didn’t bounce our way.”
The Pirates were tied with the ball and less than one minute to play. North Central ran the clock down to 30 seconds and missed a shot. The Pirates got a second opportunity with 18 seconds to play when Penn Valley lost the ball out of bounds.
NCMC was able to get to the free throw line with 13 seconds remaining, but could not convert . The Scouts got off a three-pointer before the end of regulation, but it rimmed out.
“We did a nice job of contesting shots,” Richman said. “I was impressed with Jeremy Esry’s defense. He was matched up with their best player and held him in check all night.”
The Pirates took their first lead of the game on free throws in the overtime, 62-61. The Pirates’ largest lead of the game was 65-62. Penn Valley hit a pair of free throws in the closing minutes of the overtime, cutting the lead to 65-64. The Scouts got a defensive stop and regained the lead, 66-65.
The Pirates then scored with less than 30 seconds to play, giving them a 67-66 lead. Penn Valley called time out to set up a play.
“In the timeout we decided to double their point guard and make him give up the ball. He is their best player and we were not going to allow him to beat us,” Richman said. “We executed the plan to near perfection. We doubled their point guard and he was forced to give the ball up to a guy who had to hit a 23-foot shot falling away with a defender in his face to win. Unfortunately, he made a very tough shot.”
The shot was good and it gave the Scouts the victory, 69-67.
Thelan Shiver led the way for the Pirates with 17 points. Moses Harper had 16 points and Esian Henderson chipped in 13 points.
“After the game I told the guys I was disappointed that we lost, but I was proud of their effort,” Richman said. “We just got done playing the best three teams in our region and we played right with them. We are 1-2 in region play, but we are as good as anyone in our region. If we keep working, we have a chance to do pretty well in the region tournament down the road.”
The Pirates fall to 11-6 overall and 1-2 in Region 16 play. The Pirates will host Missouri Valley on Wednesday, Jan. 24 in the Ketcham Community Center.