NCMC Pirates Basketball took home the hardware at this past weekend's Region 16 Tournament. In the semifinal round, the Pirates posted an 87-82 win over Metropolitan Community College to seal their berth in the championship game. In that game, NCMC posted a 66-60 victory over St. Louis Community College. The win cemented the team in the NCMC history books as the first to take home a Region 16 title.
Coach Esry led the team to the title in just his 3rd year as the head coach. "I couldn't be prouder of this team and how they came together last weekend to play some great basketball and get the job done at the region tournament," commented Esry.
The first hurdle for the Pirates was Metropolitan. NCMC split the regular season matchups with the Wolves. "We knew we had a huge task at hand against Metropolitan and their great shooting but the guys stuck to the scouting report and did a great job of not allowing them any clean looks the entire game. We also did a good job of fighting thru some adversity in the second half and not folding," detailed Esry.
In the championship game, the Pirates looked to avenge two regular season defeats. "Against St. Louis, we knew that we were going to have to go against a really good and scrappy defensive team that wasn't going to allow us to get off any easy shots. I thought our guys did a great job maintaining their composure and making clutch plays throughout the entire game," stated Esry.
When all was said and done, the Pirates did something that had never been done in program history. A Region 16 Championship banner will be raised in the Ketcham Community Center for the men's program. "These were two huge wins for our team and our program; it's just a testament to our guys putting in the hard work and believing in the process. I couldn't be more proud of how these guys represented North Central Missouri College and hopefully our momentum can continue into this weekend as we face a very talented and tough ASU Mid-South team with a berth in the National Tournament on the line," concluded Esry.
That contest will be hosted in the Ketcham Community Center on Saturday, March 9th. Tip-off is set for 1:00pm. Admission for adults will be $5.00. Students with an ID will be $2.00 and those age 6 and under are free.