Despite being seeded 13th and entering the men’s national tournament as an at-large selection last week, the North Central Missouri Pirates defied the odds and showcased their prowess on the national stage, continuing to establish themselves as one of the top up-and-coming programs in JUCO Division 2 basketball.
In action broadcast on KGOZ FM 101.7 with the “Voice of the Pirates” Tom Johnson on the call, North Central began their Danville journey against #20 seed United Tribes Technical College (Bismarck, ND). NCMC delivered a commanding 93-72 victory, led by Tyler King’s outstanding 28 point outing. Giovanni Mack, Isaiah Reams, and Jon Carroll also contributed significantly, with double-digit scoring performances. Carroll, a Georgia native moving into a starting position after a facial injury suffered by Dampier Evans, shined throughout the week for the Pirates.
NCMC continued their impressive run in the second round, upsetting 4th seeded Macomb Community College with an 82-80 victory. Despite facing adversity, NCMC rallied behind standout performances from Reams and Carroll. Reams had 25 points, Carroll 22, with King 15, and Mack 11 points. The wrap-up was provided courtside from Danville Area Community College’s Mary Miller Center:
The win over Macomb finished a back-and-forth contest that pushed the Pirates into the national quarterfinals for the first time in program history:
Facing off against the eventual national champions from National Park College in the Elite 8, NCMC displayed grit and determination but ultimately fell short in their comeback attempt. Despite the loss, Carroll, Mack, and King once again led the team in scoring, demonstrating their ability to compete at the highest level. Carroll posted a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds for North Central, but the Pirates had difficulty slowing down NPC starting forward Nakavieon White, who led all scorers with 32 points.
In their elimination game against Milwaukee Area Technical College, NCMC fought valiantly but ultimately fell short, ending their tournament run with a 92-85 setback, keeping North Central out of a potential Saturday afternoon battle for 5th place. King finished his freshman season at NCMC with a eye-popping 40 point performance on Friday afternoon:
NCMC’s season received the benefit of last year’s decision by the NJCAA to expand the Division Two tournament to 20 teams, adding four at-large selections to go with 16 teams that earned berths by winning district championships. North Central was upset by St. Louis in the Region 16 championship game on March 2nd. Ironically, the national champions from National Park were another of the at-large selections, with the Nighthawks only loss of the season coming in the Region 2 championship game against South Arkansas.
