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Back to back! Cardinals rout Walla Walla to secure another NWAC title

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Back to back! Cardinals rout Walla Walla to secure another NWAC title

RayQuan Evans and Alphonso Anderson each poured in 32 points to help NIC defeat Walla Walla 104-73 Sunday evening en route to the team’s second straight NWAC title.

Evans paced the way, scoring 22 of his points in the first half after the Warriors jumped out to a 22-13 lead eight minutes in. Over the last 12 minutes the Cardinals would go back to what’s worked for them all year, ending the half on a 36-16 run to take an 11 point lead at the intermission. Slow starts had become commonplace in the tournament for NIC, but like they had the three previous contests, the Cards proved they were too much over the course of 40 minutes.

Alphonso Anderson drives to the basket in the first half of the NWAC Championship game. He finished with 32 points.
TRACY SWISHER/Northwest Athletic Conference

Anderson added 10 rebounds to his stat line, and his dominant presence on the floor was evident. Walla Walla had no answer for the “big guard” out of Montana. In his final half as a Cardinal he went for 22 points. Nate Pryor and Jarod Greene dropped 15 points each on a combined 13-19 shooting to help out the offense.

Evans’ play would earn him tournament MVP for the second straight year. In a year where his role diminished a tad with the influx of talent that head coach Corey Symons brought in this year, it was number zero who lead the way once again when NIC needed him most. But to Evans, known for humility, this win meant more to him than just his own glory and gain.

“A lot of these guys don’t have rings,” Evans said. “To see them as happy as they are to win it, it feels great.”

Evans’ performance was no surprise to the coach who recruited and landed him two years ago. “He’s a stud,” coach Symons said. “RayQuan came down and played unbelievable like he always does.

RayQuan Evans shoots a free throw in the second half of the NWAC title game. Evans would pour in 32 points and win tourney MVP for the second straight year.
TRACY SWISHER/Northwest Athletic Conference

For NIC, the win means a second straight title for a program that had been known and criticized for coming up short in the postseason. They had always been known as the team that dominates the regular season only to choke it away in the playoffs. Their 30-0 team from three years ago was a prime example of those shortcomings. But after a second straight title, those nightmares are becoming a thing of the past.

Corey Symons deserves a lot of credit. Since taking over as head coach a half-decade ago, he had led NIC to a 137-25 record, and brought in some of the top-rated recruits the college has ever seen. Guys like Evans, Anderson, and Pryor were all guys that could’ve easily jumped to a four-year program straight out of high school, but Symons was able to convince them to sign with the small community college out of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

Through all his efforts, Symons has put NIC on the map and compiled talented players that have this program set to be a national powerhouse for years to come. This year’s freshman class has the potential to be the best to ever come through NIC. And that’s saying something considering the players that have played for the Cardinals in the last decade.

Nevertheless, the Cards took care of business in the tournament, and have once again hoisted the trophy at the end of the season. The finish with an unprecedented 31-2 record.

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