Peter Dindinger – NMMI Sports Press
Behind double-digit scoring performances by Chris Bready, Luis Riascos Varon and Isaiah Williams, the New Mexico Military Institute took care of business and defended the home court Thursday night with an 81-58 win over Clarendon College at the Godfrey Athletic Center.
The Broncos (10-6 overall, 2-1 conference) have won seven of their last eight games as they sport a 7-2 record at home.
"Last year we struggled with them. We're doing what we said we were going to do," said NMMI head coach Sean Schooley. "We're going to take care of our home business and we did that in pretty good fashion. I think our defense is something really good when we're doing it right."
NMMI jumped out to a 7-1 lead after five quick points in the form of a three by Bready and a bucket in the paint by Varon.
The Broncos then used a 6-0 run to extend their lead to 10. The run was highlighted with a steal by Bready that resulted in two points.
Off an assist by John Mapiou, Amiri Crowder gave NMMI a 12-point lead with 15:18 to go in the opening half.
Clarendon (5-11, 0-3) cut the deficit to seven with a three by Matt Brown.
Putting together a 12-2 run, the Broncos took an 18-point lead. Williams knocked down a pair of three-pointers during the hot streak.
Everything seemed to be working right on offense for NMMI as it gained its largest lead of the half by 26 points with under 20 seconds to go until halftime.
The Bulldogs were trifled by 11 turnovers in the opening half.
Varon led NMMI at the half with 13 points while Reginald Ward grabbed six rebounds. The Broncos narrowly out-rebounded Clarendon, 19-18.
Clarendon managed to cut the deficit down to 19 in the second half, but NMMI surged ahead to a 28-point lead with 13:14 on the clock after a bucket by Nadjrick Peat.
Despite being narrowly outscored, 32-31, in the second half, the Broncos managed to pull out the 23-point victory.
Bready led all scorers with 20 points, four assists, two steals and three offensive boards.
When NMMI can execute on both sides and pay attention to the details it can be a dangerous team.
"Everything's been coming together smoothly," Bready said. "Everybody sees how talented we can be and how good we can be when we put it all together, and we did that tonight.
"Everybody took care of their jobs. We're a pretty resilient team. We got a lot of depth."
Varon tallied a double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Williams chipped in with 12 points, one assist, a block and two defensive boards.
NMMI won the rebounding battle, 42-36.
The Broncos shot 17 of 31 from the free throw line while knocking down six 3-pointers. Williams hit four shots from beyond the arc.
"We just do what coach asks us to do. I try to play hard all the time," Varon added.
Clarendon was led by Zurique Nutter with 11 points while Garren Davis added with 10 points.
It's been a busy week for NMMI with a four-game slate on tap. The Broncos travel to Big Spring, Texas, for a 2 p.m. CST tip-off with Howard College on Saturday.
>> Western Junior College Athletic Conference scores from Thursday, Jan. 6:
- Howard 55, South Plains 45
- New Mexico Junior College 75, Midland 44
- Odessa 75, Western Texas College 69
>> WJCAC standings:
1. Odessa 12-5 (3-0); 2. (tie) Howard 10-5 (2-1), NMMI 10-6 (2-1), Midland 9-7 (2-1); 4. (tie) NMJC 9-7 (1-1), South Plains 7-7 (1-1); 6. Western Texas 11-6 (1-2); 7. Frank Phillips 9-7 (0-2); 8. Clarendon 5-11 (0-3)
NMMI 81, Clarendon 58
CLARENDON
Isaiah Johnson 0 1-2 1, Bryce Okpoh 2 0-0 4, Omar Cooper 4 1-1 9, Ibn Loyal 2 4-6 8, Garren Davis 3 2-2 10, Klayton Copeland 2 0-0 3, Zarique Nutter 4 3-4 11, Norman Beckford 4 0-0 9, Matt Brown 1 0-0 3. Totals 21 11-15 58.
NMMI
Chris Bready 6 6-6 20, Isaiah Williams 4 0-2 12, Jordan Nelson 3 1-4 7, Nadjrick Peat 2 0-2 4, Jay'veon Coleman 1 0-0 2, Amiri Crowder 4 0-0 8, Luis Riascos Varon 6 7-10 19, Reginald Ward 2 0-1 4, Jerry Kabantu 0 1-2 1, John Mapiou 1 2-4 4. Totals 29 17-31 81.
CLAR……….26……32 --- 58
NMMI…….50…….31--- 81
3-point goals – NMMI 6 (Williams 4, Bready 2); Clarendon 5 (Davis 2, Copeland 1, Beckford 1, Brown 1). Rebounds – NMMI 42 (Varon 13, Ward 7, Crowder 7, Peat 5); Clarendon 36 (Nutter 10, Loyal 5, Beckford 5). Assists – NMMI 13 (Bready 4, Crowder 4); Clarendon 10 (Nutter 3, Johnson 2, Cooper 2). Total fouls – NMMI 12, Clarendon 18. Fouled out – Clarendon (Okpoh). Technical fouls – None.