Feb. 18, 2008

By Anthony Arroyo Journal-Advocate sports reporter

STERLING -- The Northeastern Junior College Plainsmen gave the homecoming fans a lot to cheer about, scoring 54 points in the opening half against Otero Junior College to earn a 81-63 decision Saturday night at the Bank of Colorado Event Center.

The win brings NJC to a record of 26-3, on the season, and winners of 10 in a row. Just like the women, the Plainsmen are winners of the South-Sub Region for the second straight year under head coach Eddie Trenkle.

Northeastern was simply off the charts early on, shooting 64 percent from the field, draining five three's in the opening half. The team got 17 attempts from the free-throw line and left no doubt in people's minds who the better team was, taking advantage of early forced turnovers.

NJC forced Otero to 18 turnovers and recorded 11 steals. Of those 18 turnovers, 25 of them turned into offensive buckets.

The big lead that the Plainsmen built allowed the team to cruise in the second half, a half that saw Otero outscore NJC by one point.

Neither team could really find the hoop, as Northeastern shot just 31 percent and went 0-5 on three-point attempts. OJC did no better, shooting a horrendous 18 percent from the field in the second half.

The Plainsmen got a great performance from its sophomore product out of Baltimore, Md., Troy Smith, who finished with 21 points, five rebounds and four assists in the win Saturday evening.

DeRay Wilson added 17 points, who also drained two of his team's five three's on the night. Jeron Lewis would finish with 11 points and nine boards as the third scorer in double-figures.

The team will travel one more time during the regular season before prepping for the Region IX Tournament, which shapes up to be played in Casper, Wyo. Before thinking that far, NJC looks to make it 11 in a row when they travel to Western Nebraska Community College Wednesday, Feb. 20.