The No. 1 ranked National Park College (NPC) Nighthawk men’s basketball team (27-1)
fell to South Arkansas College in the National Junior College Athletics Association
(NJCAA) Region 2 Championship Sunday at Harding University, 62-60.
In the first half, NPC enjoyed strong shooting from sophomore guards Patrick Punch
(Houston, Texas) and Ja’Bryant Hill (Dallas, Texas) to jump in front of the Stars
early. Paced by strong rebounding from sophomore center Taylor Harrell (Houston, Texas)
and sophomore forward Anthony Swift (Las Vegas, Nevada), the Nighthawks capitalized
on missed opportunities from South Arkansas College to take a 38-29 lead at the break.
In a tale of two halves, South Arkansas College rallied from behind to seal the deal.
Held to just 22 points, offensively, over the final 20 minutes, NPC struggled to reestablish
its tempo against the Stars. Despite early foul trouble, sophomore forward Nakavieon
White (Odessa, Texas) led the Nighthawks with nine points in a second half that featured
10 ties. Trailing, 62-60, with 2.3 seconds remaining, NPC’s attempt at the game-winning
three-pointer misfired, resulting in the Nighthawks’ first defeat of the year.
Hill led the Nighthawks in scoring with 17 points. Punch added 16 points, while Harrell
finished 10 rebounds and four points and Swift added 15 rebounds and six points in
the loss.
National Park College is confidently pursuing an at-large bid to the 2023-24 NJCAA
Division 2 National Tournament, held March 18-23 in Danville, Illinois. The bracket
will be released live via the NJCAA Network on Thursday, March 14, 2024 at 1 p.m.
For more information on schedules, rosters and more, visit Nighthawk Athletics online. Fans can also follow the Nighthawks all season on social media.
Facebook: Nighthawk Athletics
Instagram: nighthawkathletics
X: @NPC_Nighthawks
