Your future, our focus
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Different city, state and gym — same result for the seventh-seeded Northwest College men’s basketball team.
After enjoying a first-round bye through the first two days of the NJCAA Division I Men’s National Basketball Championship, NWC picked up where it left off after winning the Region IX title on March 7 in Powell. The Trappers handled 23rd-seeded Cape Fear, outlasting the Sea Devils 96-85 in second-round action Wednesday at the Hutchinson Sports Arena in Hutchinson, Kan.
“I didn’t tell the guys this, but I was very, very nervous [before the game],” NWC head coach Brian Erickson said. “First time here just as coach, kind of nervous getting into it, and as we settled in I think our guys kind of were that same way.
“I think this game was the toughest because you’re trying to get into the atmosphere.”
NWC (31-4) built a 45-31 lead on the heels of 14 first-half points from sophomore Nicky Desilien, and seven points each from sophomores Chris Boucher, Daryle Morgan and Ammar Rehman.
Boucher finished with a triple-double after posting 29 points, 16 rebounds and 11 blocks. Desilien contributed a team-high 30 points and eight assists. His strong showing came 10 days after scoring 31 in the Region IX Championship game against Gillette College.
“I think this (game) came from my teammates,” Desilien said. “I wanted them to stay another day.”
Cape Fear almost earned that extended stay thanks to a late rally.
After Morgan (18 points) sank a pair of free throws that gave the Trappers an 83-67 cushion, the Sea Devils responded with a 12-3 push. Parris Manning capped the run with a dunk in which he drew a foul, but he missed the subsequent free throw and NWC maintained an 86-81 edge.
The Trappers sealed the win with a 10-3 move, capped by four straight makes from the line by Desilien.
For the game, NWC shot 48.1 percent from the floor (26 of 54) and made 36 of 48 free throw attempts. Cape Fear faltered to 36 percent from the floor.
Northwest will now face second- seeded Northwest Florida State College at 5 p.m. MT today (Thursday). If the Trappers win and advance to the semifinals, they will be in position to finish no worse than fourth.
“At this point it doesn’t matter who you play,” Erickson said. “We played Cape Fear and they were a champion in their own right ... we’re going to play another champion tomorrow ... if we’re going to accomplish our goal of winning a national championship, we have to play whoever is next.”