The North Central Missouri College basketball teams were at home Wednesday night, playing host to Ellsworth Community College. Both NCMC teams scored wins as the Lady Pirates were victorious 85-45 and the North Central men pulled out a 92-82 win.
Lady Pirates
The Lady Pirates pulled off a much needed win to even their record at 4-4 on the season, topping Ellsworth and keeping the visitors winless on the season at 0-7. The Lady Pirates took the lead early and overmatched Ellsworth throughout the night.
Brooke Parton led the way for the Lady Pirates, scoring 19 points and pulling down seven rebounds. Imani White added 14 points and Narel Santos had 10 points and 12 rebounds. Kaitlin Williams added nine rebounds.
“We shot the ball really well against their zone, forcing them to play man in the second half,” Lady Pirates’ Head Coach Jenni Croy said. “Our defensive game plan was to shut down their two scorers who averaged about 40 points a game combined. We did just that and held them to a combined four points.”
The win for the Lady Pirates came on the heels of a two-point loss on the road Monday night. The Lady Pirates fell 70-68 to the Graceland University junior varsity in Lamoni, IA. Santos led NCMC in the loss, scoring 16 points to go with 10 rebounds. White had 12 points, five steals and five assists and Madison Winters finished with 11 points. Parton was in double figures as well, scoring 10 points to go with seven rebounds.
The 4-4 Lady Pirates will look to move above .500 this weekend as they travel to Quincy, IL for the John Wood Classic. The Lady Pirates will play the host John Wood Community College on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Danville Community College on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Pirates
The North Central men found themselves trailing mid-way through the first half, but closed with a strong run to take a 49-47 lead at the break. The game continued to be close through the second half with the Pirates surging ahead at the end to seal the victory, their seventh of the season.
Xavier Newson led the way with 24 points and five rebounds, going 10-of-12 from the field. Terrance Bush Jr. added 22 points, six rebounds and five assists. The Pirates also got 18 points and five assists from Jory Woodson, 10 points and six assists from Tyrell Thirkield and seven points and eight rebounds from Andrew Berry.
“This was just another situation where our kids have been before,” Pirates’ Head Coach Steve Richman said. “We are an experienced, sophomore-laden team and our kids know what to do in crunch time. This was a close game throughout and our guys showed the will to win in the end. I was proud of them, they really showed a lot of determination.”
On Trenton Bulldog night at the Ketcham Community Center, the Trenton High School Band played, giving what Coach Richman called a ‘really good college basketball atmosphere.’
“I just want to give a huge thanks to Tim Gilham and the Trenton High School Band,” Richman said. “They made this one of the best atmospheres we have played in since I have been here. They were playing during timeouts and it made for a really good college basketball atmosphere.”
The North Central men, now 7-1 on the season, will return to action on Saturday, playing host to Johnson County Community College in a men’s-only match-up at the Ketcham Community Center in Trenton. Tip time is set for 4 p.m.