RANGELY, Colo. –The Colorado Northwestern Community College Men's Basketball team opened its 2024-25 campaign at home over the weekend and swept a pair of games against Utah Prep inside Hefley Arena.
The Spartans posted a dominant, 96-48 victory on Friday and rolled to a 83-47 win on Saturday.
Elijah Kersey led CNCC in scoring across the two contests, averaging 15.0 points per game while going 11-of-16 from the floor and 6-for-10 from behind the three-point arc.
Tyler Christensen also averaged 14.5 points per game and
Cole Johnson added 12.0 points per contest. On the glass, Christensen and
Arthur Videira each posted 6.5 rebounds per game. Johnson dished out a total of eight assists. Johnson and
Mitch Jeppesen combined for six steals as well.
Head Coach
Ben Cruickshank's squad officially opened their 2024-25 campaign on Friday evening against Utah Prep and offense was the theme of the night. Sophomore center
Mason Mickelsen opened the scoring with an offensive rebound and a put back. The Spartans never looked back. Kersey scored 15 of his game-high 22 points in the first half, fueling a 41-28, halftime lead for the home team. Another 55 points for CNCC in the second half finished an outing that saw Cruickshank's squad shoot 48 percent from three-point range and 62 percent from the floor overall. Individual highlights included Kersey's 22 points, Christensen's 13 points, 10 points off the hand of freshman guard
Carson Forsey, and eight rebounds for sophomore forward
Jamir Todd. Additionally, Jeppesen, a sophomore, was perfect from the field as he went 5-for-5 from the floor with two triples on the way to 12 points in the game.
Saturday brought a first-half defensive flex from Colorado Northwestern. The Spartans limited Utah Prep to just 19 points in the opening frame with the visitors shooting 23 percent from the floor and 22 percent from three-point range. On offense, a highlight, alley-oop dunk started the scoring and CNCC was off to the races. Christensen topped the scoring through the first 20 minutes, pouring in 16. Johnson added 13 points in the same span and the home team went to the break touting a 17-point lead. It was more defense by CNCC in the second half. Utah Prep managed only 28 more points compared to 47 from the Spartans. By the final buzzer, 12 individuals had scored for Colorado Northwestern, Johnson finished with 18 points, Christensen finished with 16 points, and Videira posted eight rebounds for the game.
Colorado Northwestern's men are headed to Mesa, Ariz., Nov. 7-9 for the Mesa Fiesta Bowl. The Spartans face Scottsdale CC on Thursday, Chandler-Gilbert CC on Friday, and Mesa CC on Saturday.
Fans can keep up with CNCC men's basketball on social media at @CnccMbb on "X" (formerly Twitter), at cncc_mbb on Instagram, and on Facebook by searching "CNCC Men's Basketball."
