Baylors Thomas Struggles
HUTCHINSON, Kan. -- B.J. Banks hit a late basket and a pair of free throws to help Lon Morris College advance to the quarterfinals with an 84-79 victory over Central Arizona on Tuesday at the NJCAA Tournament.
With the Bobcats clinging to an 80-77 lead, Banks scored off the glass with 1:03 to play to extend the lead to five.
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Central Arizona responded with a basket by sophomore forward John Plenty to slice the lead back to three, and had a chance to send the game into overtime when Lon Morris turned the ball over on its next possession.
However, the Vaqueros gave the ball right back when point guard Julio Jaregui's entry pass rilfed off Plenty's hands with 12.5 seconds remaining. The Bobcats' Terrance Thomas had a chance to salt the game away at the free throw line moments later, but missed the front end of a one and one with 10.5 seconds left.
Central's Ryan Sonnek missed a good look at a three in the waning seconds that could have sent the game into overtime. Banks stepped to the line with less than a second remaining and hit a pair to douse any hopes of a Vaquero upset.
Freshman guard/swingman Aaron Curtis led Lon Morris with 19 points and five rebounds, and 6-10 freshman center/power forward Diego Romero scored many of his 18 points in the second half to keep the Bobcats afloat.
Thomas, the Baylor bound 6-6 sophomore, struggled in his opening effort at the NJCAA Tournament, shooting just four of 12 from the floor on the way to a 12 point, 10 rebound performance.
Plenty, a 6-5 sophomore forward from Mount Vernon, N.Y., was an offensive force all afternoon for Central Arizona, scoring 24 points on a crisp 10 of 13 shooting performance. Jarregui and Sonnek added 14 points each for the Vaqueros.
Lon Morris will face Coffeyville in an NJCAA quarterfinal round game on Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. Central Arizona fell into the consolation bracket, where it will take on Walters State at 3:30 p.m. in an elimination game.