“Yeah, I am super tired,” Northern New Mexico College’s Walid Aly said, chuckling, after his third game in four days.
He played 21 minutes of high-intensity basketball for the Eagles, and the new tactical addition of a full court press only added to his tired legs at the end of the match.
Northern head coach Ryan Cordova implemented the press with positive results, starting with the Jan. 5 game against the College of the Ozarks from Point Lookout, Mo.
Every practice in the last week has been centered around that press, Aly said.
“I have a deep bench, so I want to be able to use them,” Cordova said. “If I don’t ever get my guys tired enough playing defense, then we don’t ever get to the bench. I just want our guys to play hard for at least five to seven minutes at a time.”
The fast-paced style of play proved effective, once more for the Eagles, Monday, as they defeated Westcliff University from Irvine, Calif.
They shot off to a quick lead and never let Westcliff take control of the game. The Eagles beat the Warriors, 83-57.
The win marks Northern’s third consecutive win, after they took both legs of a doubleheader against the College of the Ozarks.
Earlier in the season, the Eagles endured a different kind of streak. With a schedule loaded with Division I and Division II collegiate programs, they were often overpowered.
At its worst, the losing streak consisted of eight games, spanning the entire month of November.
“I like the ‘W’ side better than the ‘L’ side,” Cordova said.
As they’ve drifted into National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics play, the Eagles have been competing with teams on a similar level.
Aly is confident the Eagles will win their conference, which consists of 14 teams from around the nation.
Against Westcliff, they had the most dominant win of the season, taking the game by a 26-point margin.
The Warriors brought nine players to play the Eagles and left four players at home, due to Christmas break.
They were then a prime target for a deep Eagles team to run down with the new press. Midway through the first half, the Warriors started to wear down. Northern began to steal the ball with regularity, and they quickly advanced the already strong lead.
Westcliff started to leave the perimeter loosely guarded and Northern shooters had no problem knocking down long-range shots.
The Eagles, as a team, made seven three-pointers, as opposed to the Warriors’ one.
They also had a serious size advantage on Westcliff, and Northern centers Dominique Josephs and Tyrique Weaver utilized their size difference on offense and defense. Josephs had eight points and Weaver had six.
Bryce Simmons and Aly were Northern’s leading scorers on the night, Aly with 16 and Simmons with 14.