The North Central Missouri College Lady Pirates used a strong fourth quarter finishing surge to knock out the Region II champions from Arkansas State-Mid-South on Saturday afternoon, taking a 72-59 win over the Greyhounds, in the Central Plains District final broadcast on Hot Country Z 101.7 from the Mid-South campus in West Memphis, Arkansas.
The game went back-and-forth throughout, with NCMC taking a first-quarter lead on the back of sophomore forward Maci Moore, who scored the first six points of the contest for the Lady Pirates.  North Central led 15-10 at the half and had extended the lead by halftime to 31-23. However, Mid-South’s harassing style of play, punctuated by quick hands, steals, and deflections, got to NCMC early in the third quarter as the home team rallied. Outscored 21-14 in the third quarter, the Lady Pirates led by just one point (45-44) heading into the fourth.
In the final quarter, North Central’s experience and talent came to the forefront, as Maci Moore and Nora Ford continued to expand the lead from the free throw line, as the duo combined for 16 points from the line in the second half.Â
North Central’s women settled down early in the fourth quarter, and began to build their halftime lead back. A three-point shot by Moore from the left side of the floor built the lead back to double digits. Tom Johnson had the play-by-play call:Â
However Mid-South rallied again, with a 6-0 surge cutting the Lady Pirates lead to 4. Needing a momentum stopping basket, Ford missed a three-point shot for North Central, but freshman center Mary Copeland (Polo, MO) made sure the second of the two baskets she picked up would be one of the biggest for her team:
With North Central extending the lead in the game’s final moments, all that was left for the Lady Pirates was the celebration at the final buzzer:Â
Moore had a game-high 24 points for NCMC (23-6), with Ford adding 19, and Ianara Morbidoni 16 (including a trio of 3-point shots in the first half). ASUMS had 18 points from Quintasia Leatherwood, with Aryah Hazley adding 15.
The win advances NCMC’s women to the NJCAA Division Two national tournament at St. Clair County Community College in Port Huron, Michigan for the second year in a row. The 16 school event will start on Tuesday, March 21st and run through the championship game on the evening of Saturday, March 25th. The 2021-2022 Lady Pirates went 2-2 in Port Huron last March, finishing sixth in the event.
North Central is the champion of the “Central Plains” district, matching up Region XVI (NCMC) and Region II (ASUMS). Other teams in the national tournament will be Danville Area (17-9), Harcum (28-2), Niagara County (28-3), Mid-Michigan (28-4), Grand Rapids (19-8), Delta (20-11), CCBC Essex (32-1), Bryant & Stratton (WI) (27-5), Morton (31-0), Kirkwood (29-2), United Tribes Tech (9-19), Johnson County (32-1), Richard Bland (26-2), Catawba Valley (16-12), and Pima (25-7).
NJCAA.org will air an online program at 2 o’clock on Tuesday afternoon to reveal seedings and the bracket for the national tournament. The Lady Pirates invite the public to the Ketcham Community Center’s Sugg Room for a “Selection Show Party” for the unveiling of the matchups. All games from Michigan will be broadcast next week on your “Home of the Pirates”, Hot Country Z 101.7, KGOZ from the Tune-In Radio app, and online from KTTNSports.com.
