The North Central Missouri College men’s basketball team showed off their depth, athleticism, and shooting ability on Wednesday night, rolling to a decisive 115-48 win over the visiting junior varsity squad from Quincy University.
In action broadcast on Hot Country Z 101.7, second-year Pirate coach Jeremy Esry was able to get his entire roster playing time, with sophomore Jalen Gant of Kansas City scoring 20 points (12 in the first half) to pace a balanced NCMC attack. Fifteen Pirates played, with fourteen in the scoring column. Unable to play after suffering a broken bone in his foot was sophomore M.J. Johnson of St. Joseph, expected to shelve the former Benton Cardinal for at least two months.
Hamilton native Jaran Richman, in his first collegiate game, scored 14 points for North Central, including 10 in the second half. Gallatin product Harris Cameron, a returning sophomore for Coach Esry, added 10 points on five field goals. Jordan Reece, a lightning quick point guard from Wichita Falls, Texas, added nine points off the Pirate bench, with Unionville native Calvin Heidenwith and Lawson native Cody Glenn each hitting a pair of three-point shots in their debuts.
Quincy struggled shooting the ball with accuracy, and especially with North Central’s 1-2-2 half-court trap, trailing 60-25 at the half. John Malone led the Hawks with 20 points.
North Central’s men will face a much stiffer challenge in their second test of the season, traveling to Quincy, Illinois on Saturday afternoon for a meeting with the John Wood CC Trail Blazers. The game tips off at 4 o’clock. The Pirates next home game will be Tuesday night (November 7th) against the Missouri Valley JV at 7:30.
