MEN'S BASKETBALL

COEUR d'ALENE - Green River Community College came out swinging from behind the 3-point line Friday night.

North Idaho College countered with a little more energy on defense.

Jordan McCloud and Tyrell Lewis earned kudos for their play off the bench as NIC roared back from a 10-point first-half deficit to beat the Gators of Auburn, Wash., 83-70 in the first round of the Bigfoot-Cardinal Classic at Rolly Williams Court.

"To Green River's credit, it's the first time we've been challenged this year," NIC coach Jared Phay said. "We can learn a lot from tonight. I thought they played harder than us. They're a tough matchup with their four guards - it's tough for our bigs to get out there and guard the little guys sometimes."

NIC (8-0) will play host to Yakima Valley (3-1) tonight at 7:30 in a semifinal game. Yakima Valley beat Salish Kootenai 100-67 on Friday at Spokane Community College.

Green River (2-2) hit six 3-pointers in the first eight minutes, capped by three in a row in a 1-minute span by Kevin McCrossin, and built a 27-17 lead with 12 minutes left in the first half.

Enter McCloud and Lewis, and the 3s didn't drop with the same frequency. Green River dropped in a couple more later in the half, then went 14 minutes before its next 3. The Gators hit 8 of 15 3s in the first half, 3 of 9 in the second half.

"We just needed to pick it up more defensively," said McCloud, a 6-foot-6 freshman who redshirted at NIC last year. "They just really executed, and we didn't really prepare ourselves to come out and try to blow 'em out - we just kind of played at their level."

"I thought they both brought some more defensive energy for us," Phay said of McCloud and Lewis. "We can't come out content. We have to come out with defensive energy, and really guard at that end, and play with more intensity."

Michael Middlebrooks, the 6-9 freshman who is being recruited by Gonzaga, finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots. All six of his baskets came on dunks; in the first half he dunked a ball with so much English that the ball spun around in the net and popped right back out through the basket - no basket.

Antoine Hosley scored NIC's first seven points and finished with 12. McCloud finished with 11 points, three rebounds and four blocked shots. Keon Lewis had 13 points and four assists.

NIC led 41-39 at halftime and never trailed in the second half. But the Cardinals didn't begin to pull away until back-to-back 3s from Kwame Bates and Petar Joksimovic pushed their lead to 67-58 with 6:44 left.

McCrossin finished 4 of 12 from behind the arc and finished with 12 points for Green River.

"It was definitely a planned attack - we wanted to get some 3s up early and see if we could punch 'em in the mouth a little bit," Green River coach Tim Malroy said of the 3-point barrage. "I thought we needed about 15 3s to hang in there, and we got 11. They (the Cardinals) are so long this year; I think they're longer than they have been in the past, but yet they still have enough shooting where they're tough to guard."

Chris Plooy of Green River led all scorers with 19 points.

GREEN RIVER

Shaquille Piper 0-0 1-3 1, Emmanuel Carter 0-0 4-8 4, Andrew Buchanan 3-3 2-4 9, Chris Plooy 8-15 3-6 19, Chris Lone Bear 1-1 0-0 2, Derek Eilertson 2-7 2-4 6, Justin Lanier 4-8 1-2 12, Anthony Brescia 1-5 0-0 2, Brandt Graybeal 1-3 0-0 3, Kevin McCrossin 4-12 4-12 12, Derek Roseboro 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-54 11-23 70.

NORTH IDAHO

Jordan McCloud 3-4 4-5 11, Antoine Hosley 5-11 1-3 12, Connor White 3-8 0-0 9, Kwame Bates 1-3 0-0 3, Casey Ward 1-1 0-0 2, Keon Lewis 4-12 5-6 13, Michael Middlebrooks 6-10 2-4 14, Edrico McGregor 0-1 0-0 0, Tyrell Lewis 2-3 2-4 6, Petar Joksimovic 4-7 0-0 11, Kaj Sherman 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 30-61 14-22 83.

Halftime - NIC 41-39. 3-point goals - GR 11-24 (Buchanan 1-1, Eilertson 2-4, Lanier 3-5, Brescia 0-1, Graybeal 1-1, McCrossin 4-12), NIC 9-24 (McCloud 1-1, Hosley 1-3, White 3-8, Bates 1-3, K. Lewis 0-2, T. Lewis 0-1, Joksimovic 3-6). Rebounds - GR 35 (Lanier 6), NIC 38 (Middlebrooks 11). Assists - GR 15 (Graybeal 5), NIC 19 (K. Lewis 4). Fouled out - none. Total fouls - GR 19, NIC 20.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

North Idaho 73

Sheridan 56

COEUR d'ALENE - Freshman Katie Buskey scored 19 points to lead the 15th-ranked Cardinal women past Sheridan (Wyo.) College earlier Friday at Rolly Williams Court.

Sophomore Julia Salmio was 5 of 8 from the floor for 15 points for NIC (6-1), which hosts fifth-ranked Casper College today at 3 p.m.

NIC beat Casper 69-63 on Thursday.

SHERIDAN COLLEGE

Brodie Bennett 1-4 2-4 4, Brianna Smith 0-3 0-0 0, Jordan Hirsig 1-1 0-0 2, Fallon Lewis 3-9 4-4 11, Ruth O'Neal 4-6 3-4 11, Kelli Cordell 1-5 0-1 2, Letesia Left Hand 1-2 0-1 2, Kayla Kiriau 1-5 2-4 4, Laura Pelse 10-13 0-0 20. Totals 22-48 11-18 56.

NORTH IDAHO

Angela Woods 4-10 0-0 12, Katie Buskey 4-7 9-13 19, Tori Davenport 0-1 0-0 0, Korina Baker 2-12 5-6 11, Dani Kastrava 2-3 0-0 4, Aimee Durbidge 1-4 0-0 2, Julia Salmio 5-8 5-6 15, Mollie Kramer 0-3 2-2 2, Hannah Love 2-5 0-0 4, Danika Johnson 1-1 0-0 2, Ashleigh Kelman-Poto 1-9 0-1 2. Totals 22-63 21-28 73.

Halftime - NIC 34-25. 3-point goals - SC 1-7 (Bennett 0-2, Smith 0-1, Lewis 1-3, Left Hand 0-2), NIC 8-25 (Woods 4-7, Buskey 2-5, Baker 2-8, Kastrava 0-1, Durbidge 0-1, Salmio 0-2, Kramer 0-1). Rebounds - SC 32 (O'Neal 13), NIC 46 (Kelman-Poto 8). Assists - SC 6 (Kiriau, Cordell 2), NIC 18 (Buskey, Baker 4). Team fouls - SC 21, NIC 17. Fouled out - Lewis.

WRESTLING

Not in the Cards at Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS - North Idaho College failed to qualify any wrestlers for the final day of the Cliff Keen Invitational at the Las Vegas Convention Center on Friday.

NIC finished the day 30th out of 34 teams - 32 of them four-year schools, mostly NCAA Division I.

"We gained a lot of experience today," NIC coach Pat Whitcomb said. "We wrestled guys from schools like Stanford and Nebraska. For those guys that return next year, we're getting a good look at what it will take to get back here next year."

Ryan Zumwalt won his opening-round match against Christopher Santa of California Baptist by a 12-2 decision. Zumwalt lost 5-3 in the quarterfinals to Roger Pena of Oregon State and was eliminated by Ryan Konz of Indiana by pin in 1:25.

W.V. Meyer also won his opening match at 165 pounds, beating Bronson Gerl of California Baptist by pin in 3:44. Nebraska's Robert Kokesh pinned Meyer in 1:26, and Meyer lost by pin to Kyle DeBarry of Arizona State in the consolation round in 1:29.

Mike Carreon of NIC went 1-2, beating Christian Martino of Cornell in a consolation match at 133 pounds.

Jarrett Morrill of NIC beat Justin Luna of Western Wyoming 10-4 in a consolation match at 141, before being eliminated by Mitchell Richey of Indiana 9-2.

"Ryan did a good job today and Jarrett's win was a big plus," Whitcomb said. "It was a good deal and we're getting a chance to watch what it will take to place in this tournament."

Kyle Sweedman also went 1-2 at 174, beating Bryan Stemieb of Drexel 6-0 before losing to Jacob Graham of Arizona State 10-2.

NIC had four wrestlers go 0-2 in the double-elimination tournament.

Former Coeur d'Alene High standout Kenny Staub went 0-2 for Brown University.

NIC hosts Northwest Wyoming next Friday.