The North Central Missouri College Pirates locked horns with the Lincoln Land Loggers on Saturday afternoon from Cass Gymnasium in Springfield, Illinois, with Jeremy Esry’s Pirates looking for victory #7, and a season-sweep of the home-and-home games against the Illinois school.
Unfortunately for NCMC, the Pirates struggled to hold down Lincoln Land’s dead-eye shooters, as the Loggers outscored the visitors 98-93, in action broadcast on KGOZ-TV.
In a back-and-forth second half that saw both defenses struggle to keep the opposing offenses off the board, a technical foul called against the Pirates, two missed free throws with the Pirates down by 2 late in the contest, and a foul called after a made Logger basket combined to doom NCMC, as a six-point swing resulted from those moments (Lincoln Land hit all four free throws, combined with the two Pirates misses).
The win for LLCC is the Loggers seventh in a row. Lincoln Land has not lost since a November 12th trip to Trenton to play the Pirates. Lincoln Land, now 9-2 on the season, was led by 18 points from D’Aaron Owens, Alex Portwood, and Trace Gentry (all in the second half), and 10 points from Alex Kramer.
North Central, finishing the “pre-Christmas” portion of their schedule at 6-4, were paced by 18 points from sophomore guard Demetrius Houston Jr., 15 points from Ryan Ward (on 5 made three-point shots), 15 from Major Finley, and 10 points from both Joshuah Goss and M.J. Johnson.
The Pirates are off for Holiday break, return to practice at the Ketcham Community Center on Monday, January 2nd, and will host the Missouri Valley JV at 7:30 on Wednesday night, January 11th in the next game of the season for the NCMC men.
