NMMI Sports Press
Borger, Texas - The New Mexico Military Institute Bronco basketball team came back to win their third conference game of the season, downing Frank Phillips College last Monday, 96-89.
NMMI trailed by nine at the half, 44-35, but the offense caught fire in the second, shooting almost 65% from the field (22-for-34) and over 73% from the free throw line (11-for-15), en route to a 61-point period.
"I'm not sure these kids really know where they're playing," laughed head Bronco basketball coach Sean Schooley about his team's third WJCAC win of the season, all of which have been as the visiting team. "Maybe it's because we played fourteen away games to start the season – I don't know – but nothing seems to bother them on the road."
Point guard Isaiah Francis led the Broncos with a 'quiet' 41 points, according to coach Schooley.
"Francis was really efficient last night," explained the coach. "He stayed within the framework of what we're trying to do and played under control. He had 41 points, five assists, just one turnover, and played good defense – he just methodically got it done. It really was his best game of the season, not because of the points, but because of his overall performance."
"He did well, but so did everyone else," continued Schooley. "We shot 58% from the field and moved the ball extremely well."
Guards Jermane Carter and Keith Deloatch both had double figures in points, with Carter making 5-of-7 two-point shots as part of his tally of 12, and Deloatch putting up 10, including a pair of three-pointers.
The lone sophomore on the squad, Jeremy Parsley, had six rebounds and eight points.
"Parsley played a really good game last night," added the coach." "He came off the bench and got us some offensive rebounds and some points off the put-backs."
With the win, NMMI's extremely young team – again, with only one sophomore – moves to 8-19 overall and 3-11 in the WJCAC, with just two games left in the regular season.
"Both of our remaining games are going to be extremely tough," said Schooley. "Howard is in the playoff hunt. They're a strong, physical team with veteran players and they're not going to take their foot off the gas."
After the trip on Thursday, Feb. 21 to Big Spring, TX – where Howard College is located – NMMI will return home to play the last collegiate basketball game in the Cahoon Armory before it undergoes a complete renovation.
"The game versus Western Texas [College] will be an interesting night – it will be the last game that I'll coach in the current Cahoon Armory gym," continued coach.
That may not seem like too significant a statement until you realize that Schooley has coached over 500 games inside the Cahoon Armory gym during his 27-year term at the 'Old Post' – beginning as an assistant high school coach for the Colt basketball program back in 1992.
"I'm really looking forward to seeing the renovations to Cahoon and especially the gym," opined Schooley. "It'll be great for the players to play in, great for the fans to watch and definitely be a great recruiting tool."