Nic’s Win Less Than Masterful Sluggish Cards Defeat Miles To Open Classic
There are worse things than winning ugly - like losing pretty.
North Idaho College’s men’s basketball team didn’t do much right on Friday night, other than win and get a clutch relief job from Toby Stack in outlasting Miles (Mont.) Community College 73-63 in the Coeur d’Alene Resort Classic at Christianson Gym.
“We lacked on a lot of things,” said NIC coach Hugh Watson, who wasn’t in much of a celebratory mood after the sloppy win in his Cardinals debut. “We sure can’t go on the road and play like this.”
It was a near reversal of NIC’s exhibition dismantling over Silute last week. But the Cards have an opportunity to clean up some of their sins when they face Western Montana tonight at 7:30 in the crossover format. Snow, which drubbed Western Montana 86-63 in the tourney’s opening game, meets Miles at 5:30.
Just guessing, but the Cards probably have a ton of company across the country as far as teams who will struggle in openers.
NIC led just 60-55 with 3:50 left when Mississippi State-bound point guard Todd Myles hit a jumper, but came up limping.
He went to the bench with a cramp and Watson summoned Stack, a sophomore who played extended minutes because David Cunningham was serving the first of a two-game suspension for missing a practice.
Stack canned a 3-pointer and dropped in 7 of 8 foul shots as the Cards pulled away. His free-throw accuracy lifted NIC to a pedestrian 16 of 28 for the game.
“I was just giving Todd a breather,” Stack said. “I got a couple of open looks and hit a couple of foul shots.”
The pesky Pioneers made 23 of 27 free throws to hang around NIC like a nagging cough.
“No it wasn’t pretty, but the key point is we stuck together and pulled it out,” Stack said. “Not every game is going to be the Chicago Bulls.”
This one probably didn’t create any such confusion. NIC shot only 38 percent, 18 percent on 3-pointers. Other than rebound putbacks, the Cards had little inside production - save a couple of post-ups by Chris Harrison and some high-flying work by 6-foot-3 Bo Johnson, who finished with 17 points.
Miles lost by 12 points to Ricks last week. Pioneers coach Shawn Neary said Ricks, a Region 18 rival of NIC’s, has a quality team.
“Ricks has a lot of size and they pound it inside,” Neary said. “NIC is real athletic and likes to go off the dribble. Two good teams.”
Watson was disappointed with his team’s defense.
“I believe I could have made a few shots, as old as I am, against our defense,” said Watson, referring to some slow reaction on the perimeter to Miles’ outside shooters.
“Every game’s going to be a learning experience for us,” he added.
Guard Shawn Myrick, who didn’t play because of a suspension, makes his Cardinals debut tonight. Center Steven Ryan, slowed by an Achilles’ tendon injury, winced throughout most of his playing time.
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