The Northern Essex Community College Men’s Basketball team put on a scoring clinic in the second half to come from behind to defeat Dallas College Mountain View Thursday in the National Junior College Athletic Association DIII Championship tournament consolation bracket.
The Knights finished their season on a high note with a 107-99 win, outscoring the Lions 65-44 in the second half after trailing 55-42 at halftime.
Northern Essex freshman Xavier Rivera scored 19 of his game-high 25 points in the second half, hitting nine of 10 shots from the field. Rivera was 11 of 14 overall from the field. Haverhill’s Alejandro Delgado added eight of his 19 points in the half.
In the second half, the Knights shot 61% from the field, 46% from behind the arc, and 80% from the free-throw line.
Rivera also led Northern Essex with nine rebounds, while Delgado grabbed eight boards. Karl Wolfgang had six rebounds, including four offensive rebounds. The Knights outrebounded the Lions 48-32.
Besides Rivera and Delgado, three other Northern Essex players finished in double figures, including Alex Johnson (15), Christian Sanders (12), and Ryan Pacy (11). The Knights’ bench outscored the Lions’ bench 52-20.
Ashton Price led Dallas College Mountain View with 24 points. Augustine Chibuko scored 21 points and pulled down eight rebounds for the Lions.
Eighth-seed Northern Essex Community College, which returned to the NJCAA Championship tourney for the third straight year, improved to 29-4 on the season. The Knights fell to ninth-seed Dallas College Richland 73-68 on Wednesday in the tournament’s opening game.