Feb. 28, 2007

Final Stats

The Northeastern Junior College men's basketball team finished the regular season with a home victory over North Platte on Tuesday.

North Platte gave the fourth-ranked Plainsmen a much-needed test before heading into post-season play at the Region IX Tournament in Scottsbluff. North Platte out-rebounded the Plainsmen, 23-9, in the first half to set the tone early on the glass.

NJC trailed, 47-43, with 10:30 to go in the game. But Coach Eddie Trenkle's group responded down the stretch and sealed a 70-60 decision with big baskets down the stretch.

"We made a concerted effort in the second half to limit them to one shot and take advantage of our offensive rebounds," Trenkle said. "Games like that always help because you're never going to play from in front the whole time. We had a chance last night to figure out how to play from behind with about eight minutes to go."

Trenkle said he was proud of the way his team stepped up the intensity in a game that didn't mean much in the standings. He said the Plainsmen's will to win took over.

"It's always good to play in games where you have to think to beat people," Trenkle said. "That will help us going into the tournament. Give North Platte a lot of credit. They played their hearts out and they were physical. Our kids decided they were going to play with some urgency. It was good to see that they understood the urgency of winning games, and they went out and did what it took to get it done."

Portland, Oreg.; Sophomore Omar Leary led the Plainsmen with 19 points and five assists. Leary hit 7-of-10 shots from the field, including a 3-for-4 performance from three-point land.

Fellow Portland native LaTravis Turner scored 13 points and pulled down four rebounds. Turner added two steals and two assists to the NJC win.

Shane Edwards scored 12 and had four rebounds. The sophomore from Gilbert, Ariz; didn't miss a shot from the field, going 6-for-6.

Sophomore Rashad Austin and freshman Troy Smith contributed nine points apiece and combined for 13 rebounds. Smith added three assists and three steals in just 23 minutes of playing time.

NJC takes on McCook at 6 p.m. on Mar. 3 in Scottsbluff to begin the quest for the Region IX title.