Pirate's basketball fans saw NCMC repeat at NJCAA Region XVI champions Saturday night when the Pirates took a 74-64 win over St. Louis Community College. With the win, NCMC pushed their season record to 26-3 and are one win away from a repeat trip to the national tournament.
The 6th ranked Pirate's region championship victory wasn't without a tough test from St. Louis Community College. After NCMC jumped out to an 8-0 lead early in the game, St. Louis controlled much of the rest of the first half and took a 40-31 lead to halftime. "The guys believed," commented head coach Jeremy Esry of his team's mood at the break. The players were confident if they stuck to their game plan, the game would swing their direction.
The confidence and faith the players had paid off. In the second half, NCMC was not to be denied. The half opened with sophomore Marty Jackson knocking in two free throws from a St. Louis technical foul at the end of the first half. Down the stretch, NCMC was able to get defensive stops when it mattered most. The Pirates would outscore the Archers 43-24 in the half to secure the ten-point victory.
Jackson led the scoring for the Pirates with 18 points, 11 of which came from the charity stripe. TJ Babikir added 17 points in the winning effort.
"Let's go to Arkansas," commented head coach Jeremy Esry in his postgame interview. Esry was alluding to the fact that the Pirates will take on the NJCAA Region II winner Saturday on the road with a berth to the national tournament on the line; either Arkansas State University Mid-South or North Arkansas College will host that matchup. Those teams face off Tuesday night in the Region II championship.
A year ago in the Ketcham Community Center, the Pirates defeated Mid-South 73-67 to reach the first national tournament in school history. This year, the highly ranked Pirates will have to hit the road to continue their march toward the ultimate goal, a national championship.