REFLECTION TO PERFECTION

NCMC Sweeps JV Teams, Keeps Winning Streaks Intact

After losing four of six games and tumbling out of the NJCAA Division II rankings, the North Central Missouri College women’s basketball team went back to where it all started. The Pirates revisited goals set at the beginning of the season and then looked at where they currently stood.
The moment of self-reflection seemed to work.
On Tuesday night at the Ketcham Community Center, the North Central women won their third-straight game, scoring a 86-37 victory over the Graceland University junior varsity.
“We really talked about bringing your ‘want to’ every single day,” North Central Head Coach Jenni Croy said of the team meeting. “It is easy late in the season to sometimes go through the motions, but we talked about how close the end is and we talked about our goals we made at the beginning. It doesn’t matter if we win by 30 or win by two in overtime – we have to play to win the entire four quarters.”
The latest victory in the three-game winning streak came the easiest as the Graceland junior varsity proved to be no match for the Pirates on their home floor. NCMC set the tone early with a 21-8 run in the first quarter and never looked back, outscoring the Yellow Jackets in all four frames. Defensively, North Central was very strong, never allowing Graceland to score more than 12 points in a single 10-minute quarter.
Sarah Lamp led the way for NCMC, scoring 16 points and pulling down nine rebounds. Hailey Burrows and Kendey Eaton followed, scoring 13 points each, and Samm Jett added 12 points. North Central also got 10 points from Lindsay Wyatt while Whitley Richman and Madison Gonseth controlled the boards with 11 and nine rebounds respectively.
“We were able to get great minutes from everyone tonight,” Croy said. “I really thought no matter what rotation we had in the game, the girls played well together.”
The win improved the North Central women to 21-8 overall on the season.
NCMC MEN 76
CMU JV MEN 70
It wasn’t the prettiest game the North Central Missouri College men’s basketball team has played, but in the end the Pirates were victorious.
North Central fought tooth and nail with the Central Methodist University junior varsity at the Ketcham Community Center in Trenton, escaping the Eagles’ upset bid with a 76-70 victory. The win was the fourth in a row for the Pirates, who continue to build momentum for the impending Region 16 Tournament.
On a night when the Pirates didn’t play their best on the defensive end and struggled to connect from distance, Jalen Gant gave the Pirates exactly what they needed – a 33-point night. Ryan Ward followed with 17 points and Jordan Reece added 15.
“For the second time in a week we figured out how to come away with a victory in a game where we didn’t play our best on the defensive end or shoot it well from the outside,” Coach Jeremy Esry said. “I’m proud of how our guys committed themselves in the second half to getting stops when we needed them and maintained the faith in their outside shots. We got some great looks early, we just couldn’t get any to fall, but we were able to capitalize in the second half on some outside shots.”
With the win, the Pirates moved to 16-10 overall.
UP NEXT
Both North Central teams will be at home again on Saturday, closing out the regular season with a doubleheader against North Arkansas Community College. Action tips off at the Ketcham Community Center at noon with the women’s game. It is Sophomore Say for the Pirates and sophomore players will be recognized between the games.
North Arkansas women’s team enters Saturday’s contest in Trenton as the ninth-ranked team in the nation.
It will be the second meeting between the schools this season. North Central traveled to Harrison, AR on Jan. 27. The women fell on the road 83-56 while the Pirate men picked up a 93-89 victory.