Peter Dindinger – NMMI Sports Press
HOBBS – It was a renewed rivalry between two in-state conference foes.
The New Mexico Military Institute Bronco basketball team had not played New Mexico Junior College since Feb. 6, 2020.
Fast forward a year and 11 months.
NMMI led 70-67 with under six seconds to go in regulation. A clutch three-point jumper at the buzzer by Tommy Chatman sent the game into overtime.
The Broncos trailed by two points with 14 seconds to go in the first overtime period, unfortunately the ball just didn't bounce their way as the Thunderbirds came out on top, 82-77, Thursday night at the Caster Activity Center.
Latik Murphy led NMMI with 22 points and four 3-pointers while Chris Bready and Jonathan Salazar each chipped in with 17 points.
Salazar grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds.
NMMI (11-8 overall, 3-3 conference) won the rebound battle, grabbing 46 boards, which was 13 more than NMJC.
The game featured nine ties and seven different lead changes.
NMJC began on a 3-0 run before Murphy drained a three-pointer to tie the game.
After a pair of free throws, the Thunderbirds regained the lead until Nadjrick Peat slammed down a game-tying dunk with 16:40 on the clock.
The score was stuck at 8-5 in favor of NMJC.
Bready made a jump shot to cut the deficit to one. Later on Jerry Kabantu came down with a defensive rebound that resulted in a layup from Salazar that gave NMMI a 9-8 lead.
As the Broncos began to pick up momentum, the lead switched over to NMJC after a pair of free throws were made by Mouhamed Mbaye.
That started a 6-2 run for the Thunderbirds.
NMMI battled back to chisel the deficit down to two after a pair of free throws were made by Bready with 9:52 left in the opening half.
A three-pointer by Devin Butts then gave NMJC a four-point lead. The Broncos retaliated with another three from Murphy to trail by one.
The Broncos kept chipping away until Bready put them ahead 22-21 after knocking down a jump shot with 7:49 to go.
NMMI's lead grew to three after Luis Riascos Varon made a layup.
In the form of two free throws, Mbaye put the Thunderbirds behind within one. Butts then landed another three to put NMJC ahead 26-24.
NMJC's lead grew to six until Salazar cut it in half with a layup two and a half minutes before the end of the half.
The Thunderbirds (11-8, 3-2) went ahead by five before Murphy tallied four quick points on a pair of layups to put NMMI within one with 49 seconds on the clock.
Salazar picked up an offensive board and finished with a layup to put the Broncos ahead 33-32. NMJC answered back with a go-ahead jump shot by Butts to make the score 34-33 at the break.
To start the second half, NMJC led by seven with 17:46 on the clock.
NMMI kept fighting as it came back within one after another clutch three by Murphy that came off an assist by Jordan Nelson.
Trailing 41-40, Murphy stayed hot from beyond the arc to knock down another three after an assist by Varon to put NMMI back on top 43-41.
A layup by Salazar gave the Broncos a four-point lead with 14:13 in the second half.
Mbaye later made a layup to tie the game at 45-all. Two free throws made by Isaiah Williams gave the Broncos a two-point lead down the stretch.
Butts tied up the score at 47-all with a layup with 12:04 on the clock. The score remained tied for nearly three minutes.
Salazar knocked down a pair of free throws to put NMMI ahead 49-47.
NMMI's lead grew back up to four after Salazar made a layup off an assist by Jay'veon Coleman.
Coleman stepped up as he made a three-pointer from the top of the key to put NMMI up by eight with 5:48 to go.
The Broncos held the lead for nearly nine minutes until NMJC erased a 10-point deficit to tie things up as time expired.
NMMI was quickly down 72-70 with 4:19 left in the first overtime period. Varon tied up the game with a layup.
Jordan Booker gave the Thunderbirds the lead back with 3:55 to go. NMJC never trailed from that point on.
Booker led all scorers with 26 points while Mbaye tallied 25. The duo shot 29 of 33 from the free throw line. Butts finished the game with 16 points.
The Broncos landed six shots from the beyond the arc while shooting 13 of 23 from the free throw line. NMMI got 33 points from the bench.
NMJC shot 81.8 percent from the charity stripe, 36 of 44. The Thunderbirds went on to outscore NMMI 12-7 in the overtime period.
>> UP NEXT: NMMI hosts Midland College at 6:30 p.m. Monday.
>> Western Junior College Athletic Conference scores from Thursday, Jan. 13:
- Odessa 98, Midland 60
- South Plains 87, Clarendon 63
- Howard 77, Frank Phillips 41
>> WJCAC standings:
1. Odessa 14-5 (5-0) 2. (tie) South Plains 10-7 (3-1); and NMJC 11-8 (3-1); 4. Howard 11-6 (3-2); 5. (tie) NMMI 11-8 (3-3); and Midland 10-9 (3-3); 7. (tie) Western Texas 11-8 (1-4); and Frank Phillips 10-9 (1-4); 9. Clarendon 6-13 (1-5)
NMJC 82, NMMI 77 (OT)
NMMI
Chris Bready 7 3-5 17, Latik Murphy 9 0-0 22, Jordan Nelson 0 1-2 1, Nadjrick Peat 1 0-0 2, Amiri Crowder 0 2-3 2, Isaiah Williams 1 2-5 5, Jay'veon Coleman 1 0-0 3, Luis Riascos Varon 2 2-4 6, Reginald Ward 1 0-0 2, Jonathan Salazar 7 3-4 17. Totals 29 13-23 77.
NMJC
Tommy Chatman 2 3-3 9, Devin Butts 6 2-3 16, Jordan Booker 4 18-21 26, Dario Domingos 2 2-5 6, Mouhamed Mbaye 7 11-12 25. Totals 21 36-44 82.
NMMI………33……37.....7 --- 77
NMJC……...34…….36...12--- 82
3-point goals – NMMI 6 (Murphy 4, Coleman 1, Williams 1); NMJC 4 (Chatman 2, Butts 2). Rebounds – NMMI 46 (Salazar 11, Bready 7, Murphy 7, Varon 6); NMJC 33 (Booker 5, Domingos 5, Josaphat Bilau 5). Assists – NMMI 9 (Murphy 2, Nelson 2, Varon 2); NMJC 8 (Chatman 3). Total fouls – NMMI 31, NMJC 24. Fouled out – NMMI (Nelson); NMJC (Chatman). Technical fouls – NMMI (Team).