• WRESTLING
OREGON CITY, Ore. — For the first time since Jan. 25, 2015, North Idaho College has something to celebrate when it comes to its biggest NJCAA rival Clackamas.
NIC, ranked seventh in this week’s NJCAA poll, won three matches by pin in a 28-18 dual win over top-ranked Clackamas on Saturday afternoon, the Cardinals’ first win over the Cougars since a dual in Oregon City in 2015.
“We wrestled well and getting three falls is huge in a dual meet,” NIC interim coach Derrick Booth said. “Kobi (Johnson) started with a great win at 125 and the team fed off his energy and we kept the momentum going through the first five matches of the dual.”
Zach Lopez (133), Ben Mitchell (157) and Post Falls native Ethan Miller (174) won via pin for NIC.
“I was happy with the attitude and effort I saw today,” Booth said.
NIC returns to action against Carl Albert State of Poteau, Okla., on Jan. 5 at Meridian High.
125 — Kobi Johnson, NIC, won by decision. 133 — Zach Lopez, NIC, won by pin. 141 — Brant Porter, NIC, won by decision. 149 — Kanai Tapia, NIC, won by major decision. 157 — Ben Mitchell, NIC, won by pin. 165 — Carter Miethe, NIC, lost by pin. 174 — Ethan Miller, NIC, won by pin. 184 — NIC forfeit. 197 — Bradley Whitright, NIC, lost by decision. 285 — Shai Murray, NIC, lost by decision.
• MEN’S BASKETBALL
North Idaho 94
Gonzaga club 76
COEUR d’ALENE — After an understandable slow start, the Cardinals got things going in the second half to pull away from the Gonzaga club team, a group of GU intramural athletes at Rolly Williams Court.
“It was a tough one,” said NIC coach Corey Symons, whose team hosted the Nike Northwest high school Invitational on Saturday. “Our guys were working all day at the high school event, and didn’t get the energy going. But, no excuses, we need to learn how to play. We had some defensive lapses, and 99 percent of that is on me. After following that Lake City-Owyhee game, it was just kind of hard to keep the emotions up.”
Sophomore Julius Mims had 19 points and six rebounds, sophomore Taden King 17 points and eight rebounds and freshman Cobi Campbell 17 points and five assists for NIC (9-0), the top-ranked team in the latest Northwest Athletic Conference poll.
NIC hosts an NWAC crossover tournament starting Friday against Southwestern Oregon at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday’s games will be played at Post Falls High due to NIC hosting the Tri-State Invitational wrestling tournament.
Tyler Butson scored 18 points for the Gonzaga club team.
GONZAGA CLUB
Nick Grassman 4-9 0-1 10, Andy Ford 0-2 0-0 0, Devin Jenkins 3-6 3-3 9, Evan Ingelsby 7-12 1-2 15, Logan Chmieleski 4-6 2-2 10, Carter Sonnebon 1-10 0-0 2, Robby Brodar 1-2 0-0 3, Ethan Lee 0-0 2-2 2, Kyle Shim 1-2 0-0 3, Tyler Butson 6-13 0-0 18, Kauner Pyzybyski 0-6 2-2 2, Sterling Patton 0-0 0-0 0, Luke Shilito 1-5 0-0 2. Totals 28-73 10-12 76.
NORTH IDAHO
Julius Mims 7-10 2-2 19, Xavier Bailey 1-3 2-2 5, Cobi Campbell 6-13 4-4 17, Brendan Johnson 1-2 0-0 3, Taden King 7-13 0-0 17, Vanti Erving 6-10 1-1 13, Jeremiah Sibley 2-6 1-1 5, Kamryn Thomas 5-10 0-0 12, Phil Holmes 0-2 3-4 35-69 13-14 94.
Halftime — NIC 52-43. 3-point goals — GC 10-36 (Grassman 2-6, Ford 0-2, Jenkins 0-2, Ingelsby 0-3, Chmieleski 0-1, Sonnebon 0-4, Brodar 1-2, Shim 1-2, Butson 6-9, Pyzybylski 0-3, Shilito 0-1), NIC 11-23 (Mims 3-4, Bailey 1-1, Campbell 1-5, Johnson 1-1, King 3-7, Erving 0-1, Sibley 0-1, Thomas 2-3). Rebounds — GC 34 (Inglesby 9), NIC 40 (Thomas 9). Assists — GC 12 (Sonnebon 3), NIC 9 (Campbell 5). Team fouls — GC 17, NIC 12. Fouled out — none.
