The North Central Missouri College Pirates broke open a tight contest with a sweltering full-court attack that wore down visiting St. Louis into offensive second half struggles, in a 76-61 homecoming victory on Saturday afternoon at the Ketcham Community Center in Trenton.
On a day when the Pirates normally potent three-point attack flailed, North Central hammered the interior, with Marty Jackson leading a balanced attack with 18 points, while Quinan Rieves added 13, and Jeremy Shaw and Atavian Butler 11 points each. The win improves the Pirates, top-ranked in NJCAA Division Two, to 19-1 on the season and 1-0 in Region XVI play. St. Louis, dropping to 10-12 on the season, and 0-2 in region play, was paced by Mardareyon Clark with 11 points and Jean Alexis with 10.
The Lady Pirates had a rare off night, struggling to find their rhythm from tip to buzzer in a 74-54 loss to the Archers. In particular, the Lady Pirates defense found no answers for Ronne’zia Elliott, with the sophomore guard scoring a game-high 32 points for StLCC (6-12, 1-1). Kyla Richardson added 15 points and Janet Garrett 11 for St. Louis. The Lady Pirates, now 13-7 on the season, and 0-1 in region play, were led by Kortlyn Rounkles with 17 points.
