WELCOME BACK

Pirates Come Back, Win In Double OT

Down by five with under 20 seconds left to play, the odds of the North Central Missouri College men’s basketball team completing a comeback after trailing visiting Kansas City Kansas Community College by 11 points at halftime seemed long.
That’s when Jeramy Shaw took over.
The Pirate swingman buried a three-pointer, stole the ensuing inbound pass and flushed home a massive dunk to tie the game with five seconds left. The Pirates’ defense held and the game was bound for overtime.
After two overtimes North Central, ranked sixth in the nation in the NJCAA Division II preseason poll, prevailed on Wednesday night, opening the season with a 118-115 victory over No. 19 KCKCC.
“It was really wild,” North Central coach Jeremy Esry said of Shaw’s individual five-point run to close regulation. “That’s just Jeramy Shaw having trust in himself as a sophomore and coming through in the clutch. That’s just him having the knowledge of where to be and then the athletic ability. Jeramy and Atavian Butler were both really, really clutch for us.”
In overtime, it was Butler, the Pirates’ returning All-American, who took over.
Butler had just eight points in regulation, but took it upon himself to carry the Pirates in overtime. Though his potential game-winning shot didn’t fall at the end of the first overtime, Butler piled up 12 points in the two bonus periods combined and wound up with a team-high 20 points.
“(Butler) wants that responsiblity,” Esry said. “He kept telling us ‘we’re not losing. We’re not losing this game. I’m not losing.’ Luckily he came through with his word. He is one who is really tough to keep in front of and a really tough guard for opponents. He finishes so well through contact so we kind of just put the ball in his hands and let him go with it. We had some good pieces around him, but without having Marty Jackson here, Atavian has just kind of stepped up to the plate being the guy with the ball in his hands at the end of games.”
Last year during North Central’s run to a 27-3 overall record and second consecutive region and district championships, North Central had a knack for finding ways to win close games late. A year later, that trait is still present.
North Central’s defense was suspect in the first half as the Pirates yielded 51 points to the visitors. The offense had momentary lapses and comeback attempts were interrupted by untimely turnovers and missed baskets. Yet when it got to the end, the Pirates were still there and after the two overtime periods, North Central had a season-opening win over a ranked opponent under their belt.
“There is something about knowing how to win in close games,” Esry said. “Knock on wood, our guys have been pretty good at it. They play with a lot of confidence late and they don’t rush. We were down five and we aren’t trying to score five points at once. They understand time and score. Winners win and losers find ways to lose and luckily right now we have that momentum and we are winning.”
Behind Butler’s 20 points, Shaw added 18 and freshmen Mack Anderson and Kolten Griffin each had 18 points as well. Camron Donatlan finished with 16 points in his Pirates debut and Jackson Andrews tacked on 14 points. Damien Loyd scored 12 points to round out the double-digit performers for the Pirates.
It had been 319 days, nearly a full calendar year, since the NCMC men defeated Arkansas Mid-South on the road in the Central Plains District championship game.
That was the last time North Central was on the court for a game that counted toward its record.
The long wait for another meaningful game was worth it, however, as the Pirates prevailed in a match-up that excited the large crowd on hand at the Ketcham Community Center.
NCMC established a 1-0 overall record to start the season with the victory.
NCMC WOMEN
The women’s game that preceded the men’s contest was almost as good from an entertainment standpoint. Though it didn’t take overtime, the game came down to the final seconds.
North Central led for the majority of the first half, but KCKCC stepped in front for the first time in the final minute of the second quarter. NCMC tied the game just before the break, but a 7-0 run to open the second half staked KCKCC to the biggest lead of the night for either team.
The seven-point advantage was still intact at the end of the third quarter and North Central was chasing in the fourth. The Pirate women were within two multiple times, but never closer. North Central’s last gasp was a drive down the left side of the paint by Kortlyn Rounkles with the Pirates down two. Rounkles drew plenty of contact but no whistle blew and the shot didn’t go down. NCMC had to foul and KCKCC made good at the free-throw line to give the game its final score of 71-67.
“I felt like we had missed opportunities tonight,” Pirates’ coach Jenni Croy said. “It’s tough to win with 28 turnovers and going 12-for-24 from the free-throw line. But, to do that and only lose by four does show that we have so much room to improve.”
A big bright spot for the Pirates was freshman Maci Moore, who led the team with a double-double in her collegiate debut. Moore scored 18 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, both team-high totals. Kennadie Crowe, another freshman, followed with 14 points.
“Maci played well,” Croy said. “I think what I was most proud of her for was the fact that she went up to score tough. She didn’t shy away from the contact. She has such a high ceiling and we are excited to continue to see her grow as a player.”
The loss established an 0-1 record for the North Central women to start the season.
UP NEXT
Both North Central teams are at home again on Sunday, playing host to John Wood Community College. The John Wood men are receiving votes in the NJCAA Division II preseason poll, while the women’s team from Quincy, IL features former Trenton High School standout Mykah Hurley.
Action at the Ketcham Community Center tips off at 2 p.m. with the women’s game and the men will follow at 4 o’clock.