NCCC men's hoops gets No. 2 seed, women get 11th for national tournament
Mar. 14—The Niagara County Community College basketball teams learned their fate in the national tournament on Tuesday.
NCCC men's team was awarded the No. 2 seed and will face No. 15 Central Community College (Ohio) at 4 p.m. March 21 in the opening round of the NJCAA Division II tournament in Danville, Illinois.
The Thunderwolves are appearing in the national tournament for the fourth time in seven years. They are 29-1 — the best record since 1977 — on the season and have won 14 consecutive games, including a nine-point win over No. 14 Sullivan in the district playoffs. They finished seventh last season.
Lamar Lovelace leads the team with 14.8 points per game, while Allen Fordham is averaging 12.9 and Aaron Miller is posting 11.1 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.
The NCCC women's qualified for the national tournament for the fourth time in five years and were awarded the No. 11 seed in the 16-team field. The Thunderwolves are 28-3 and ranked 20th in the country and will fae No. 6 Bryant & Stratton-Wisconsin at 9 a.m. March 21 in Port, Huron, Michigan.
NCCC has won 11 games in a row, defeating Sullivan 64-60 in the East B District championship. They also finished seventh at nationals last season.
The Thunderwolves are led by Aichata Ballo, who is averaging 11.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 3.7 steals. Lockport native Ashlynn Johnson is posting 11.4 points and 5.8 rebounds, while Kenmore West alumna Ashley Tucker is posting a team-best 12.4 points, 7 rebounds and 2 steals per game.
NCCC ranks in the top-10 nationally in rebounds (50.1), assists (19), points allowed (50.8) and 3-point defense (22.2%).
