National Park College (NPC) Nighthawk men’s and women’s basketball teams split their National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA) Region 2 series against North Arkansas College Thursday, with the Nighthawk women defeating the Lady Pioneers, 78-59, and the Nighthawk men falling, 78-67.
In recognition of Sophomore Night, National Park College honored nine student-athletes—Rylee Jones (Mountain Pine) and Rose Whitley (Malvern) of NPC cheer, Hannah McLain (Cove) of women’s basketball and Brody Emberton (Clinton), Tevin Tate (Springdale), Mondo Watkins (Hot Springs), Daniel Smith (London, England), Colen Thompson (Conway) and Shamir Caruthers (Rochester, New York) of Nighthawk men’s basketball—for their outstanding contributions to Nighthawk Athletics.
Consistent scoring propelled NPC (17-5) to victory in women’s action, with freshman guard Khayla Garrett (Brownsboro, Texas) leading the charge early. After a back-and-forth first quarter, NPC took charge in the second quarter, building a double-digit advantage and never looking back. Behind an impressive 13-point first half performance from Garrett, which included three treys, NPC soared into the locker room with a 38-27 halftime lead.
Defense reigned supreme for the Nighthawks in the second half, holding North Arkansas College to just nine free throws with zero field goals allowed in the third quarter. NPC caught fire from beyond the arc, with McLain delivering two big three-pointers in the third quarter and freshman guard Khyra Garrett (Brownsboro, Texas) knocking down draining three three-pointers in the fourth quarter to push the Nighthawks across the finish line to victory.
Khayla Garrett led the Nighthawks in scoring with 18 points. Khyra Garrett added 14 points, while McLain finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds in the win.
A red-hot shooting night from freshman forward Joseph Washington (Miami, Florida) was not enough to turn the tide in a tough loss for the Nighthawk men (14-10). In a physical first half, NPC struggled to keep up with the Pioneers’ offensive barrage down low, resulting in the team playing catch up from the free throw line on 10-of-11 shooting. Despite 17 first half points from Washington, NPC entered halftime trailing, 37-28.
North Arkansas College stayed in front throughout the final 20 minutes, draining six three-pointers and taking advantage of Nighthawk foul trouble. Washington added 10 points to his total, while freshman guard Addison Shelton (Little Rock) and Watkins erupted for 12 and 11 second half points, respectively. The deficit proved to be too much for National Park College to overcome, however, resulting in the regular season series split with the Pioneers.
Washington led NPC with 27 points and 11 rebounds. Shelton added 14 points, while Watkins finished with 13 points in the loss.
The Nighthawk men travel to Arkansas State University Mid-South Monday, February 17 at 6:30 p.m. The Nighthawk women return to action at Southeast Arkansas College Thursday, February 20 at 7:30 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.
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