The North Central Missouri College women had their 2017-2018 season end on Saturday, one win shy of a trip to the D-2 national tournament, in a 91-82 defeat at North Arkansas, the third loss for the Lady Pirates against the Pioneers this season.
Whistles throughout the game, coming on a combination of offensive fouls and turnovers, made it difficult for either team to get into a good offensive rhythm, with the Pioneers, fighting through two early fouls against All-American forward Hannah Villines, taking a 35-30 lead to the break.
The first three minutes of the second half did in North Central, with Northark scoring the first 11 points out of the locker room to take a commanding 16 point lead. With the whistles going against the Lady Pirates, Coach Jenni Croy was hit with a technical foul during the home team’s surge, although that seemed to spark the NCMC women out of their slump, with a three-point shot by Kendey Eaton pulling North Central back within 15 points. By the time the third quarter had ended, the Pioneers had outscored NCMC 32-22, taking a 67-52 lead into the fourth quarter.
There was no quit in the Lady Pirates in the final quarter, with Eaton nailing four three-point shots to keep North Central within shouting distance, but effective free-throw shooting by Northark kept the Pioneers up by at least two possessions in the final minute, as time ran out on the Lady Pirates season.
Sophomore standouts Eaton and Sarah Lamp were solid in their final game as Lady Pirates, with Eaton scoring 26 points (15 in the fourth quarter) and Lamp 18 Whitley Richman, a freshman forward out of Trenton, finished her season with a 12 point effort, including 8 of 8 from the free throw line. Samm Jett had eight points, with Maddie Book hitting a pair of second-quarter three’s for a six point afternoon, as NCMC finishes the season at 23-10.
Head Coach Jenni Croy, in a postgame interview with Tom Johnson, praised her Region 16 champions for a great season:
Northark, advancing to the D-2 national tournament, being played on their floor (Pioneer Pavilion in Harrison, AR) from March 20th to the 24th, had 19 points from center Maya Hood, 17 from Kyra Kahn, 17 points (15 in the third quarter) from Villines, and 12 points from Crane, Missouri product Shelby Roder. The Pioneers will host the national tournament, representing District P with a record of 19-6.
