Rainer Rejoins No. 16 Nic After Bout With Tonsillitis

Center Shawna Rainer has rejoined the North Idaho College women’s basketball team after missing two games last week because of tonsillitis.

She should be able to play on Thursday when NIC entertains Eastern Utah.

Rainer leads NIC in scoring at 14.6 points per game. “She might have to have something done about it after the season,” NIC coach Greg Crimp said.

NIC remained at No. 16 in the latest NJCAA poll.

The Cardinals men dropped four spots to No. 16 after Saturday’s loss to College of Southern Idaho.

NIC faces perhaps its toughest test of the season when No. 14 Eastern Utah visits Thursday night at 7:30. NIC lost at CEU 86-76 in January.

CEU is led by wing Harold Arceneaux (17.5 points), center K’Zell Wesson (16.3) and forward Ime Udoka (15.1). Wesson leads the conference in rebounding by more than four per game.

“We scored pretty well inside on them,” CEU coach Guy Beach said. “We’re a little bigger than they are. They didn’t press us here. I think they were afraid of our guards.

“I think we have the best three guards in the league (Mitchell Johnson, Noel Jackson and Eddie Gill). Up there, they’re going to press us. We’ve been working on that.”

Beach said Wesson, Udoka, Johnson and Jackson are receiving heavy recruiting attention, including from University of Idaho.

The NIC wrestling team stayed at No. 2 behind Lassen College.

NIC has been practicing twice daily in preparation for this weekend’s regional tournament in Clackamas, Ore., and nationals two weeks thereafter.

, DataTimes