The Pirates went on the road Saturday and took down #16 ranked MCC-Penn Valley 94-85. Penn Valley had a 12 game winning streak snapped in the loss. The win avenged a home defeat earlier in the season for the Pirates, who moved their record to 13-8 on the year and 3-2 in Region 16 play.
"I was very pleased and happy with how our guys performed Saturday in a tough road environment. We started off the game slow but came around and finally found our groove. We knew that in order to beat them we had to do a great job on the glass and all of our guys bought into that, especially MJ Johnson and Jalen Gant. We also knew that we had to match their intensity and aggressiveness when attacking the rim and I think all our guys did that as well," commented a proud Coach Esry of his team's efforts.
Big men Gant (21 points, 12 rebounds) and Johnson (11 points, 14 rebounds) really set the tone, each earning a double-double. Guards Demetrious Houston Jr. and Teyontae Jenkins also had superb afternoons pouring in 18 point a piece.
Coach Esry is happy with the direction his team is moving. "It was a great week for NCMC basketball and we were really proud of how the guys bought in on the court and played as a team. Hopefully we can continue that trend."
The next contest for the Pirates will be Monday the 13th as they take on William Penn University Varsity Reserve at home. That game is set to begin at 7:00pm in the Ketcham Community Center.