COEUR d'ALENE - Both in close games early, the North Idaho College men's and women's basketball teams ran away from their competition in the second half Friday on the opening night of the NIC Thanksgiving Classic at Christianson Gym.

Freshman Michael Middlebrooks scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds as the North Idaho Cardinal men defeated the Salish Kootenai College Bison 97-69.

NIC beat Salish Kootenai 90-81 on Nov. 17 in Pablo, Mont.

"We're starting to come together as a team," NIC coach Jared Phay said. "We've still got a lot of work to do and are still young. But we continue to work hard and are getting there."

Edrico McGregor scored 15 points off the bench for NIC (5-0), which hosts Williston (N.D.) State tonight at 7:30.

In the women's matchup, sophomore Julia Salmio scored 16 points to lead NIC past the Community Colleges of Spokane Sasquatch 71-52.

"She's been figuring it out," NIC coach Chris Carlson said. "She had 16 in the first game and went real strong to the basket tonight."

It was the Cardinals' third straight win since a 55-54 season-opening loss to Mesa (Ariz.) in the Southern Idaho tournament on Nov. 11.

"I was real pleased with how we came out tonight," Carlson said. "We did a lot of good stuff tonight. Spokane played tough. They got some good wins and are always a solid team. Anytime we can get a win against them, I'm happy."

NIC (3-1) faces Wenatchee Valley tonight at 5:30.

• Men's: Phay said Middlebrooks has elevated his game since the loss of Cole Luckett to a torn ACL earlier this month.

"He's been playing huge," Phay said. "He's been running the court on both sides. The sky is really the limit for him. He's been a very valuable member of our team."

"They played us well there last week," Middlebrooks said. "We wanted to protect our court. I just found some open space on defense and started to attack the basket."

Middlebrooks, a 6-foot-9 freshman post from Rainier Beach High in Seattle, had six of his eight rebounds on the offensive end.

"So far, it's going good," Middlebrooks said. "But we've got a whole lot of room for improvement. As the season progresses, will become a great team."

D.J. Fish scored 25 points to lead Salish Kootenai, which led by five points early in the first half.

"We just needed to relax," Phay said. "Our minds were going too fast and we weren't executing on offense."

SALISH KOOTENAI COLLEGE

Peter Aragon 0-2 0-1 0, Jayson Ferris 0-2 0-0 0, Dennis Sangrey 5-14 2-3 13, Sonny Eppinette 4-6 0-2 8, Kevin Wroblewski 1-1 0-1 2, Trent Ashley 3-4 0-2 7, D.J. Kemmer 4-5 1-1 11, D.J. Fish 7-22 8-13 25, Logan Lee 1-2 0-0 3. Totals 25-58 11-23 69.

NORTH IDAHO

Jordan McCloud 2-8 2-3 6, Antoine Hosley 5-9 0-0 11, Connor White 1-3 2-2 4, Kwame Bates 3-9 1-2 7, Casey Ward 1-1 0-0 2, Keon Lewis 4-8 4-5 12, Michael Middlebrooks 6-7 4-6 16, Edrico McGregor 7-9 1-2 15, Joel Underdahl 0-1 0-0 0, Tyrell Lewis 6-8 0-1 12, Petar Joksimovic 2-3 0-0 5, Kaj Sherman 1-3 5-6 7. Totals 38-69 19-27 97.

Halftime - NIC 50-39. 3-point goals - SKC 8-27 (Aragon 0-1, Ferris 0-1, Sangrey 1-10, Ashley 1-1, Kemmer 2-2, Fish 3-10, Lee 1-2), NIC 2-15 (McCloud 0-2, Hosley 1-2, White 0-2, Bates 0-4, K. Lewis 0-1, Underdahl 0-1, T. Lewis 0-1, Joksimovic 1-2). Rebounds - SKC 31 (Fish 8), NIC 45 (Middlebrooks 8). Assists - SKC 9 (Fish 3), NIC 11 (White 3). Team fouls - SKC 22, NIC 18. Fouled out - Fish.

n Women: Four of Salmio's five rebounds came on the offensive end.

"We're trying to have the same goal this year," said Salmio, a 6-foot-1 forward from Vantaa, Finland. "It's been a lot of work, but we're in good hands with coach Carlson. I'm becoming more comfortable with my teammates on the floor and we're starting to play well."

NIC forced 20 turnovers and held CCS to 30.8 percent (8 for 26) shooting in the second half.

Former Coeur d'Alene High standout Amanda Buttrey, now a sophomore for the Sasquatch, scored 16 points in her return to Coeur d'Alene.

"I like it," Buttrey said. "I had lots of friends and family here. It was nice they could come and support me. I really like playing at NIC. It's fun to come home and see everyone again."

Buttrey has led the team in scoring as the team's lone returning starter.

"A lot of it is working with a new group of players," Buttrey said.

"She was a little rattled in the first half," CCS coach Bruce Johnson said of Buttrey. "She did a good job in the second half, but was playing too quick in the first half. They've got better talent than we do, and they should. NIC is a pretty physical team. We've got one starter back, but so do they, but his young kids are better than mine."

Freshman Angela Woods scored 10 points for NIC.

COMMUNITY COLLEGES OF SPOKANE

Jenna Humphrey 2-3 0-2 6, Amanda Buttrey 4-12 4-4 15, Kylie Tareski 3-5 4-7 10, Blake Jacobs 0-0 3-4 3, Megan Tullis 1-3 0-0 2, Jordan Brons 2-4 0-0 4, Amelia Cook 0-3 2-2 2, Carli Elwin 1-5 0-0 2, Laikyn Brophy 0-6 2-2 2, Emily Abbott 3-5 0-0 6. Totals 16-46 15-21 52.

NORTH IDAHO

Angela Woods 3-9 2-2 10, Katie Buskey 1-3 0-0 2, Tori Davenport 1-1 0-0 2, Shanee McBride 1-3 0-0 2, Korina Baker 3-7 0-0 7, Dani Kastrava 2-3 2-3 6, Aimee Durbridge 0-6 3-4 3, Julia Salmio 7-8 2-2 16, Mollie Kramer 3-4 2-2 8, Hannah Love 3-5 1-4 7, Danika Johnson 1-2 2-2 4, Ashleigh Kelman-Poto 2-6 0-0 4. Totals 27-57 12-17 71.

Halftime - NIC 35-23. 3-point goals - CCS 5-12 (Humphrey 2-2, Buttrey 3-5, Tareski 0-1, Brons 0-1, Elwin 0-2, Brophy 0-1), NIC 5-15 (Woods 2-6, Buskey 0-2, Baker 1-3, Durbridge 0-1, Salmio 0-1, Kramer 2-2). Rebounds - CCS 25 (Tareski 7), NIC 42 (Kelman-Poto 7). Assists - CCS 9 (Buttrey, Tareski 3), NIC 12 (Baker 3). Team fouls - CCS 14, NIC 21. Fouled out - Abbott.