Nighthawks Soar to Final Four
DANVILLE, ILLINOIS – The National Park College (NPC) Nighthawk men’s basketball team (29-1) advanced to the Final Four in the National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA) Division 2 Men’s Basketball National Tournament Wednesday, defeating North Central Missouri College (NCMC), 83-74.
In their second meeting with the Pirates this season, NPC flourished, taking advantage of turnovers to take the lead early. Sophomore guards Keryn Collins (Dallas, Texas) and Ja’Bryant Hill (Dallas, Texas) led the Nighthawks out of the gate, scoring seven and five points, respectively, as NPC built a 12-9 lead through the first five minutes. Later in the first half, the Nighthawks received an offensive explosion from sophomore forward Nakavieon White (Odessa, Texas), who surged for 22 points over the final 15 minutes of the period, leading NPC to a 49-39 halftime advantage.
One minute into the second half, White sank a jumper to become NPC’s all-time leading scorer in men’s basketball, passing former Nighthawk Kam Vick. NPC built its biggest lead of the contest, 55-39, with 18:32 remaining. NCMC would not go away quietly, however, sparking a 21-4 run to take a 60-59 lead with 11:40 to go. Sophomore center Taylor Harrell (Houston, Texas) sank a put back down low as NPC regained the lead, 63-61, with 10:19 remaining. The Nighthawks would not trail again. Led by speedy offense and strong defense from Hill and sophomore guard Siddiq Canty (Dallas, Texas), the Nighthawks soared across the finish line to advance to Friday’s semifinal round.
White led the Nighthawks in scoring with 32 points. Hill and Canty added 17 and 11 points, respectively. Collins finished with nine points and five steals, while Harrell amassed six points and eight rebounds in the win.The Nighthawks will face the winner of Davidson-Davie Community College and Des Moines Area Community College in the NJCAA Division 2 Final Four Friday, March 22 at 6 p.m. The 2024 NJCAA Division 2 National Tournament will be streamed live by the NJCAA Network.
For more information on schedules, rosters and more, visit [np.edu/athletics]Nighthawk Athletics online. Fans can also follow the Nighthawks all season on social media.
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