NCMC Sweeps Region 16 Titles

NCMC Women Repeat, Men Grab Fourth-Straight
The North Central Missouri College men’s and women’s basketball teams are Region 16 champions once again. The women picked up their second-straight Region 16 championship on Friday with an 86-62 thrashing of Metropolitan. The men followed up that feat by topping Metropolitan 89-78 to capture the Region 16 men’s championship for a fourth year in a row.
WOMEN
The North Central women have dominated region competition this season and Friday’s championship game was no exception. The Pirates piled up 43 points in the first quarter alone, taking a 43-8 lead just 10 minutes into the contest. There was no need to press at that point and the Pirates made full use of their bench, coasting to the finish for a 24-point win.
“We stressed all week in practice that we wanted to jump out early and quick to leave no doubt on the outcome of the game,” North Central head coach Jenni Croy said. “The girls did just that. We came out ready and focused. We executed the press and turned our defensive stops into scores, which has been our focus all year. I’m proud of this group of girls. They get excited for each other’s success, which leads to team success. We are thrilled to get to play one more game at home.”
Nora Ford, who was named the Region 16 player of the year, led North Central with 23 points, five assists and three steals. Maci Moore followed with 13 points and Kennadie Crowe had 10 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals. Angel Wiggins had 10 points and four assists coming off the bench and Jordan Hibner had nine points, coming off a trio of three-pointers.
The win means the North Central women will host the Central Plains district championship, which determines a national tournament berth. The Pirates will host the District 2 champions from Arkansas, which was to be determined Monday night. No time has been set for the district championship game in Trenton on Saturday.
MEN
The North Central men continued their stranglehold over the region, winning the title for the fourth year in a row. The Pirates had to work for this one, needing a semifinal win over St. Louis, which they got by an 88-61 score on Thursday, just to reach the final.
Once the ticket was punched, however, the Pirates were able to come away with a double-digit win over Metropolitan to pick up another region title, this one by an 89-78 score.
“I was super impressed and happy with our performances in Jeff City on Thursday and Friday,” Pirates’ head coach Jeremy Esry said. “I thought our guys were locked in and played with great toughness. We had some ups and downs in both games, but our overall consistency was good and it was great to see the fight and focus in our guys.”
Isaiah Ervin had 21 points to pace the Pirates in the championship win while Kolten Griffin added 19 points to go with nine rebounds and six assists. Darius Walsh finished with 13 points and five assists and Mack Anderson had 11 points and six rebounds.
In the semifinal win over St. Louis, Kam Bevel had a game-high 21 points with six rebounds and Ervin scored 20 points. Gerald Gittens chipped in nine points and four assists while Anderson had eight points and five rebounds and Sterling DeSha finished with seven points and three assists.
The Pirates moved to 16-11 overall with the two wins and will now host the Central Plains District championship game on Saturday at the Ketcham Community Center. The North Central men will host the yet-to-be determined Region 2 champion from Arkansas.