Jan. 28, 2008

STERLING -- Some fans went up to former NJC men's basketball coach Brian Joyce and greeted him in his return to Sterling. Others yelled at the current Western Nebraska head coach, making his night a much longer one than he expected.

Meanwhile, the Plainsmen were focused and balling out of control.

Northeastern took care of business in front of the roughly 850 fans that filled the Jackson/Edwards Arena, posting a 106-84 victory Wednesday night in their first game in eight days. The win improves the team to 18-3 overall.

"We talk about playing 40 minutes all year, and after (Wednesday), we're definitely getting closer," Northeastern men's head coach Eddie Trenkle said. "I was extremely please with our effort and how we just kept coming, even when we were up big."

Northeastern had no problems early on, with sophomore Jeron Lewis controlling the inside for the Plainsmen. Six early points for Lewis help aid his team to a 10-5 lead.

After a basket by the Cougars of Western Nebraska, sophomore guard DeRay Wilson delivered a picture perfect pass from halfcourt to A.J Wilson for an alley-oop dunk that rose the student section to their feet. DeRay Wilson came back on the next possession and hit a three, which was immediately followed by a steal and lay-up by sophomore Mike Dominguez, bringing the score to 17-8.

The Cougars would make a run, and actually lead 21-19, before Lewis took over again.

Jeron tied things up at 21, then gave his team a 26-23 lead with seven minutes to play. He would later connect again inside, extending the lead to six.

A basket by sophomore Lawrence Tyson made the score 52-42, giving his team a double-digit lead, but a Cougar basket at the buzzer saw NJC's lead shrink to eight at half.

Dominguez started things out for the Plainsmen in the second half with his second three of the game, followed by a layup on the next possession.

Eric Miller's only two points of the game came by way of a powerful dunk, which was once again followed by a shot by Dominguez.

WNCC would call a time out, as NJC began the half with a 9-2 run.

Northeastern would go for eight more points, bringing the run to 17-2 before the Cougars answered.

NJC would cruise from there, finishing the game with multiple free-throw attempts. The Plainsmen were 27-30 from the line.

"We're just starting to get good," Trenkle said of his team. "I look at this team and I see so much more potential, which is a scary thing for our opponents. When we play at our hardest, we are a very hard team to beat."

"This game was a stepping stone for us," Trenkle added. "We just hope at the end of the year, we're playing at our best."

Northeastern had six players finish in double-figures and 10 players score in the win over Western Nebraska. Dominguez and freshman Alex Garcia-Mendoza each had 18 points to lead the Plainsmen. Lewis finished with 16 points and six rebounds, while A.J Wilson added 12 points Wednesday night.

Sophomore Troy Smith ended his night with 16 points and three assists off the bench.

After the game, the players from NJC thanks many of the fans that came out to watch the Plainsmen play, hoping they'll come back for more as the team hits the final stretch of the season.

"I really want to thank the town of Sterling for coming out and supporting us," Trenkle said. "I hope they continue support us, because Northeastern has two really good teams that the town can be proud of."

NJC travels to Lamar this Saturday, Jan. 26. The next time fans can see the Plainsmen play at home will be Tuesday, Jan. 29 against Laramie County Community College.

Lamar is 13-5 on the season and are coming of a heartbreaker to Colby Community College in a 69-66 defeat Tuesday.