Alliance 78 - Northwest 68

[Yappi]

by starkravingdad

Alliance's Jon Andrews scored 27 points and had 15 rebounds to lead the Aviators to a home court win over the Indians in an NBC matchup Tuesday night.

The outcome produced a log jam at top of the NBC with three teams (Northwest, Alliance and Marlington)virtually tied with 2 conference losses apiece.

NW, playing its third game in 5 days, was consistently beat down the floor in the first half resulting in some easy Alliance transition hoops and a 21-10 first quarter Alliance lead.

After the lead grew to 28-12, NW fought back in the second quarter as Jim Shiplett and Evan Hudson played strong inside and led the comeback. NW cut it to 4, but Alliance was awarded a questionable basket at the buzzer that made it 39-33 at the half.

The Aviators took control in the 3rd. They controlled the offensive boards and had several put backs. Andrews was everywhere, scoring, rebounding and running the court as the Aviators pushed the lead to as many as 16. A late 3rd quarter surge cut the Aviator lead to 11 entering the final stanza.

The Aviators slowed the tempo, but it seemed to take them out of sync. NW's defensive pressure and some sloppy ball handling led to several Aviator turnovers, and NW charged back to cut the lead to just 5 with 2:21 remaining. But Andrews rose up again, making free throws and rebounding crucial Aviator misses. Andrews scored 11 of his game high 27 in the final minutes of the game.

Tyler Krzynowek, battling several nagging injuries, led the Indians with 16. Paul Hensley added 14 points and six rebounds, and Hudson finished with 13 points. Shiplett added 10 points and nine rebounds. NW was just 15-25 from the line on a night when every point was valuable.

Terrence Williams carried the Aviators early and ended with 20 points and nine rebounds. Both teams return to action Friday night.