PIONEER – The North Central Eagles welcomed in the Antwerp Archers for Homecoming Night in The Nest on January 26. Although the final three periods were a toe to toe battle, the first period set the tone of the night. The Eagles were unable to find their wings in the first period, missing several shots that may have turned the tide of a 13-4 Antwerp run that gave the Archers a 62-54 victory.
Despite the defeat, there was still plenty for which the hometown crowd could stand and cheer…the biggest coming in the waning minutes of the first half. With 4:17 left in the second period, senior Jalen Dancer decided to test the much bigger interior of the Antwerp defense. As he juked to the right and drove the outside of the paint, he was mugged in midair, earning him a trip to the line for two free throws. The first bagged nothing but net, and with a swish, the second fell…followed by a long buzzer from the scorer’s table for an official’s time out. Those two free throws were career points 999 and 1,000 for Dancer, and after a brief round of congratulations from his teammates and coaches, he was ready to rejoin the battle.
Cam Cochran had a team-high 16 for the Eagles, while Dancer finished with 14 and Branden Turner 8 points. Clayton Ferguson landed 6 points, Brandon Geiser and Dylan Hutchison had 4 points apiece, and Josh Taylor had 2.
SCORING BY QUARTER:
Antwerp 13 13 11 25 – 62
North Central 4 16 10 24 – 54
