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 Nighthawk Athletics online. Fans can also follow the Nighthawks all season on social media.
Facebook: Nighthawk Athletics
Instagram: nighthawkathletics
X: @NPC_Nighthawks
