Pirates Give No. 1 Kirkwood A Scare, Top McCook At Classic
There would be no second upset of another No.1-ranked team this year for the North Central Missouri College men’s basketball team, but that didn’t mean the Pirates didn’t put a scare into top-ranked Kirkwood Community College at the Indian Hills Classic Friday in Ottumwa, IA.
North Central was outscored by just two points in the first half and two more in the second, leading to a highly competitive four-point loss, 92-88.
Isaiah Ervin carried much of the load for the Pirates, finishing with a game-high 32 points and six rebounds. Sterling DeSha added 17 points off the bench and Kolten Griffin went for 14 points and four blocked shots. The Pirates also got eight points and eight rebounds from Gerald Gittens and Riak Mabour scored eight points as well.
The disappointment of coming up just short didn’t seem to phase North Central, however, as the Pirates came back with an 85-77 victory over McCook Community College on the second day of the event.
Gittens had 20 points and seven rebounds to pace the Pirates off the bench. Griffin had 19 points, 16 rebounds and three blocked shots and Ervin had 13 points and three assists. DeMarcus Sandford Jr. and Mack Anderson both scored 10 points in the win with Anderson adding 13 rebounds and three blocks while Sandford dished out three assists.
The split in Indian Hills moved the Pirates to 5-4 overall on the season.
The Pirates will be on the road tonight (Tuesday), traveling to Quincy, IL to take on John Wood Community College on the road. That game tips off at 7 o’clock. The North Central women are in Sedalia tonight to take on State Fair Community College in a game scheduled to tip off at 5:30.
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