North Central Missouri College picked up a pair of important Region 16 wins on Saturday, with both the women and men coming away with a victory at the Ketcham Community Center.
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North Central Missouri College picked up a pair of important Region 16 wins on Saturday, with both the women and men coming away with a victory at the Ketcham Community Center.
The Lady Pirates established themselves as the number one seed in the Region 16 Tournament later this month with a 65-46 win over Cottey College. The men got their third win in a row, defeating Florissant Valley, 65-55.
Lady Pirates
The Lady Pirates made the head coaching debut of assistant coach Greg Keith a successful one as they improved their season record to 21-4. Keith took over for head coach James Arnold, who missed the game due to receiving two technicals and being removed from the previous game against State Fair.
The Lady Pirates got off to a fast start, holding an early six-point lead, and were up 36-17 at the half. The two teams played even in the second half, with all 12 NCMC players seeing playing time.
“The girls were ready to get back on the court after the tough matchup against State Fair,” Keith said. “They came out focused and ready to play and took care of business early against a good team.”
The NCMC women were without the services of Kristen Buhrmeister, who missed her second straight game with an ankle strain. Stepping into her starting role was Darcie Iddings, who finished the night with seven rebounds.
Amber Vandevender led the Lady Pirates with 15 points and seven rebounds. Tiara Johnson had 14 points, 10 rebounds and four steals while Amber Jordan came off the bench and scored 12 points.
Cottey College was led by Leonard with 17 points.
The NCMC Lady Pirates are 21-4 overall and 8-0 in region play while being ranked number nine in the country in NJCAA-Division II. They will return to action on Saturday, taking on Forest Park at 2 p.m. at the Ketcham Community Center. This will also be the sophomore recognition game.
Pirates
While it wasn’t the prettiest game ever played, the Pirates did what they had to do to gain the victory against Florissant Valley, a team they lost to by two points earlier in the year.
“Overall it was a sloppy game with lots of fouls and turnovers and we really couldn’t get any flow going,” Coach Steve Richman said. “But we did what we had to do to win.”
NCMC got off to a fast start, thanks mostly to the play of the backup players who were called into duty after Richman pulled his starters early in the contest.
“I wasn’t really happy with how they were playing, so I put in my second five and they really got things going,” Richman said. “They got us the lead and looked comfortable doing that. I think that some of the things that happened earlier in the season, which gave these kids a chance to get some playing time, are really starting to pay off.”
NCMC led at the half, 35-22, and held control the second half.
Thalen Shiver led the Pirates with 15 points while Karl Stupnianek added 12 points. Cortez Jeffries put in nine points. NCMC had 12 of its 14 players in the scoring column.
The Pirates are 13-10 and will be at home Friday night, hosting Forest Park in a big matchup at 7:30. They will also play at home on Saturday, taking on Meramec at 4 p.m.
Games scheduled for Tuesday night, Feb. 7, at the Ketcham Community Center, have been moved to Tuesday, Feb. 14. Southeastern will come to town for a pair of contests, with the women’s game kicking off at 5:30 p.m., followed by the men’s game at 7:30. It will be “Big Red Night,” with fans being encouraged to wear red.