The North Central Missouri College Pirates used their superior athleticism and depth to pull away from the Graceland Yellowjacket junior varsity squad, 96-64 on Monday night at the Ketcham Community Center in Trenton.
The Pirates, in improving to 2-0 on the season, put five players in double figures, led by sophomore shooting guard Major Finley, who shot a scorching 6 of 8 from the field and racking up 19 points. Benton graduate M.J. Johnson had 16 points to go with 7 rebounds. Dee Scruggs came off the bench to score 12 points with six rebounds, while blocking three shots. Demetrius Houston Jr. and Jalen Gant both had 10 points, with Gant adding 13 rebounds.
NCMC will take on the #11 ranked (NJCAA Division 2) Southwestern Spartans on Wednesday night at 7:30. The contest, from the SWICC Fieldhouse in Creston, Iowa, will be carried live on KGOZ-TV (www.YouTube.com/KTTNRadio), with Tom Johnson on the play-by-play call. A victory by the Pirates would give North Central two victories over top 25 teams to open the season, as NCMC defeated #15 Johnson County on Tuesday, November 1st in Overland Park, Kansas.
