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Sophomore guard JJ Griffin goes up for a layup against Otero Junior College.
Sophomore guard JJ Griffin goes up for a layup against Otero Junior College.
Posted: Dec 17, 2015

Plainsmen drop Region IX South shootout against Otero

By Ken McDowell

Sports Editor

In a game that featured much more offense than defense, the Northeastern Junior College (NJC) Plainsmen closed out the 2015 portion of their basketball schedule at home Saturday with a 109-96 loss to the Otero Junior College Rattlers in Region IX South action. NJC heads into the holiday break with a 6-8 overall mark and 2-2 in Region IX South. The win ups Otero’s overall mark to 11-3 and the Rattlers sit on top of Region IX South at 3-0.

NJC stayed close in the first half, trailing 46-39 at halftime before Otero came out and scored the first 5 points of the second half. The closest NJC would get the rest of the way was within 6 points at 62-56 before Otero pulled away in the final 10 minutes. “I really thought we played okay offensively against Otero,” said NJC Coach Eddie Trenkle. “We struggled to get defensive stops and it showed. Otero played a great game and executed their game plan to perfection.” NJC was 28-for-70 from the field for 40%, and 7-for-21 from 3-point range for 33.3%.

The Plainsmen shot well from the free throw line, hitting 33-out-of-39 charity tosses for 84.6%. Otero shot nearly 50% from the floor (33-for-67) and was 9-for-17 from 3-point land for 52.9%. The Rattlers were 34-for-45 from the free throw line for 75.6%. NJC only turned the ball over 8 times while forcing Otero to hand the ball over 12 times.

Sophomore Marcus Cooper led NJC in scoring with 24 points, which also included a 12-for-13 performance from the free throw line. Sophomore James Dumes followed with 22 points; sophomore J.J. Griffin and freshman Axel Mpoyo 12 each; sophomore Robert Jones 9; sophomore Arek Mawien 3 and freshmen Naradian James and Tyree Robinson 2 apiece.

Otero out-rebounded NJC 46-37. Cooper grabbed 8 rebounds and 3 each for Jones and Mpoyo. Griffin had 3 assists and James and Mpoyo 2 steals each. On Wed., Dec. 9 NJC hosted Casper, Wyo. College in a non-region game and surpassed the century mark for the fourth time this year with a 106-93 victory.

Trenkle has seen his team play up and down the first half of the season, but mostly positive as the Plainsmen head into the holiday break. “We had a tough first semester with both good and bad,” he noticed. “We are getting much better and will have a chance to win the Region if we stay together and play at a high level. We are every excited for the second semester.” NJC’s first game from the break will be Fri., Jan. 8, 2016 against Western Nebraska Community College at 7:30 p.m. in Region IX South action.