The North Central Missouri College men’s basketball team continued their up and down season on Tuesday night with a 111-65 victory over the Ottawa University junior varsity at the Ketcham Community Center in Trenton.
The lopsided win for the Pirates was the third of the season and each victory has followed a loss giving North Central a 3-3 mark on the season.
The Pirates used an up-tempo game with full court pressure early on to build a commanding 61-29 halftime lead. That advantage would only grow in the second half as North Central cruised to the victory.
“I thought this was a good opportunity for our kids and we really needed a game like this,” Pirates’ Head Coach Steve Richman said. “We got quite a few guys the opportunity to play and get some good minutes. I saw some things that showed me we are continueing to move in the right direction.”
North Central had seven players in double figures in the victory with Caleb Berry’s 15 points, eight rebounds and two assists leading the way. Cody Eidson and Brandon Stapleton each had 13 points off the bench with Eidson adding six rebounds and Stapleton handing out four assists. Terrance Bush filled out the stat sheet with 12 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, just missing a triple-double. Bush also had two steals in the win.
Other Pirates in double figures included Major Finley, who had 11 points and five assists; D’Tavian Walker, who had 10 points and six rebounds; and Lorenzo Chisholm, who had 10 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals.
The Pirates will look to put together back-to-back wins for the first time this season on Thursday as they play host to Kansas City Kansas Community College, which is currently nationally ranked in the NJCAA Division II poll. That game follows a women’s game between the NCMC Lady Pirates and the William Penn women’s junior varsity. The women’s game tips off at 5:30 p.m. with the men’s contest to follow at 7:30.