King, Guice, Piper lead NIC men to title

SPOKANE — Former Lake City High standout Kyle Guice scored 18 points, Djuan Piper added 17 and tournament MVP Jordan King had 14 as the North Idaho College men’s basketball team held off Community Colleges of Spokane 84-80 in the championship game of the Bigfoot Classic on Sunday at Spokane Community College.

Guice and Piper were also named to the all-tourney team as NIC (12-1) won the tourney for the third straight year. Jamaal Robateau added 11 points off the bench for the Cardinals, and Fuquan Niles had seven points and 12 rebounds.

“Kyle had a great tournament,” NIC coach Corey Symons said. “He’s been our diamond in the rough, our steal. He’s kind of got a little fire under him again. He’s blowing up recruiting wise.”

Symons said Guice, a freshman who can leave for a four-year program after this season, has attracted interest from most of the Big Sky schools, as well as a few other Division I schools.

The 6-foot-7 Guice was 6 of 12 from the field, including 4 of 9 from 3-point range. He also grabbed six rebounds.

Of King, Symons said, “He’s an inside-out guy. He’s only 6-4, but he’s strong enough to guard a big in the NWAC (Northwest Athletic Conference), and quick enough to be a tough matchup on the perimeter.”

NIC fell behind 10-0 at the outset, then put all five players on the perimeter and used its quickness to build a 44-28 halftime lead. The Cardinals opened a 57-39 lead early in the second half before CC Spokane (6-2) rallied, pulling within three points in the final minute. But NIC held on, and the Sasquatch never had the ball with a shot to tie it.

“They battled back like we knew they would, and we let up a little bit,” Symons said. “It was nice to see our guys grit one out.

“Our big thing is energy; when we bring energy, we’re tough to beat. We let off the gas a little bit, and they hit some big shots.”

Race Martin, a 6-5 freshman from Pullman High, did most of his damage inside for CCS, scoring 30 points and grabbing nine rebounds.

NIC opens Scenic West Athletic Conference play Saturday at the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls.

NORTH IDAHO

Jamaal Robateau 3-7 3-4 11, Lucas Antunez 1-3 0-0 2, Djuan Piper 6-15 3-3 17, D’Adrian Allen 2-4 2-2 6, Braian Angola-Rodas 1-7 2-3 5, Fuquan Niles 3-5 1-3 7, Jordan King 5-8 3-4 11, Kyle Guice 6-12 2-2 18, Charlie Lockwood 2-5 0-0 4, Ty Higbie 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-66 16-21 84.

CC SPOKANE

Dean Richey 2-6 7-9 11, Kage Sobotta 3-7 0-0 7, Jacob DeVries 3-11 6-6 13, Chase McDuffie 0-0 0-0 0, Race Martin 11-24 5-8 30, JJ Winger 1-1 0-0 3, Orin Porter 1-8 2-2 5, Dalton Patchen 3-6 3-3 11, Brady Bergman 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-63 23-28 80.

Halftime — NIC 44-28. 3-point goals — NIC 10-25 (Robateau 2-5, Antunez 0-1, Piper 2-6, Angola-Rodas 1-3, King 1-1, Guice 4-9), CCS 9-27 (Richey 0-2, Sobotta 1-2, DeVries 1-7, Martin 3-8, Winger 1-1, Porter 1-3, Patchen 2-4). Rebounds — NIC 49 (Niles 12), CCS 33 (Martin 9). Assists — NIC 10 (Piper, Angola-Rodas 3), CCS 13 (Richey 4). Fouled out — Niles. Total fouls — NIC 21, CCS 21. Technical foul — Higbie.