The National Park College (NPC) Nighthawk men’s basketball team won its second-consecutive
game Wednesday, defeating Williams Baptist University’s junior varsity team, 109-77,
while the Nighthawk women fell to Seminole State College on the road, 81-53 on Wednesday
and picked up their first win of the season, 66-58 against Oklahoma Wesleyan University’s junior varsity team on Thursday.
In men’s action, NPC (2-2) found its rhythm early, exploding for a 13-0 run to start
the game. Led by freshman guard JoQuarius Valrie (Houston, TX) and sophomores Sayvon
Traylor (Conyers, GA) and Kamren Roelke (Hot Springs), the Nighthawks quickly took
advantage of Eagles turnovers to build a comfortable lead.
Leading, 36-17, midway through the first half, the Nighthawks continued to pressure
on defense to force tough shots in the paint while shooting 12-of-15 from the free
throw line to cruise to a 58-36 halftime lead.
In the second half, the Nighthawks found success beyond the arc, knocking down nine
three-pointers to keep pace. Led by 11 points from sophomore Tyler Tolliver (Mayflower)
and strong defense from freshman Garett Powell (Springboro, OH), the Nighthawks widened
the gap to secure the team’s second win of the season.
Traylor led the Nighthawks in scoring with 15 points. Valrie scored 14 points, Tolliver
added 13 points, Roelke and Powell recorded 11 points apiece, while sophomore Terry
Clardy Jr. (Conway) and freshman Kylil Anderson (Fort Worth, TX) scored 10 points
apiece in the win.
Wednesday, on the road in Seminole, Oklahoma, the Nighthawk women (0-2) engaged in
a neck-and-neck battle with the Belles, 9-5, in the first-quarter, but faltered in
the second quarter, allowing 36 points en route to a 45-23 halftime deficit. In the
second half, the Nighthawks nearly matched the Belles bucket-for-bucket, but were
unable to overcome the early deficit, losing their second-straight game.
Freshman Kyra Hargrove (Perryville) led the Nighthawks in scoring with 17 points,
while sophomore Jaide Vavra (Centerpoint) added 15 points in the loss.
Thursday, the Nighthawk women bounced back against Oklahoma Wesleyan University. Led
by freshman India Atkins (Bryant), NPC amassed 23 first half points. In the second
half, the Nighthawks’ offense erupted behind 12 second-half points from Hargrove with
Atkins adding 10 points to earn the team’s first win of the season.
Atkins led the Nighthawks in scoring with 18 points, while Hargrove added 12 points
in the win.
The Nighthawk men and women play host to Champion Christian College Saturday. The
women tip off at 2 p.m. with the men following at 4 p.m. at 4 p.m. Saturday.
General admission tickets to NPC home games can be purchased at https://np.edu/tickets. Tickets for faculty and staff can be obtained at https://np.edu/np-tickets. For more information on schedules, rosters and more, visit www.np.edu/basketball. Visit Nighthawk Men stats and Nighthawk Women stats for up-to-date NJCAA statistics on the Nighthawks this
season. Fans can also follow the Nighthawks on social media.
Facebook: Nighthawk Athletics
Twitter: @NPC_Nighthawks
Instagram: nighthawkathletics
Snapchat: npnighthawks
