Undefeated: NIC achieves historic 30-0 record

There was enough emotion to fill up Lake Coeur’ D’ Alene Saturday night; It was the Cardinals last game of the regular season, their undefeated record was on the line, It was sophomore night, it was a packed house, and there were literally fans doing backflips.
In front of this whirlwind of community spirit, the Cardinals pulled of their final victory of the regular season against Snow College with a final score of 87-60.
The win added to the NIC record for best season in the college’s history, and brought the Cardinals to 30-0 for the season.
Right from the tipoff the game was a gritty defensive battle. On Snow College’s first four-possessions the Cards stifling defense forced a not-even-close shot off the side of the backboard, an air ball, a travel, and an errant pass that landed in the second row. In fact Snow College didn’t even score a basket until the 17:24 mark.
If the team’s defensive efforts weren’t enough, sophomore Braian Angola-Rodas’s performance managed to raise the cacophony of cheers even further.

NIC’s Trey Burch-Manning and Ziggy Satterthwaite establish a defensive swarm against a Snow College player. Satterthwaite had a team-high eight rebounds for the game.

With his first basket he shot a baseline three-pointer right in front of the student section, and minutes later on the opposite baseline he threw down a one handed dunk.
Both teams were extremely physical. There were 10 fouls called between the both teams within just the first five minutes of the half.
Snow College got their first lead at the 5:50 mark, and within their next few possessions they poured it on and stretched it to a lead of six.
The Cards made a strong push and continued playing stellar defense, and thanks to a Scott Turner three-pointer in the closing minute of half, they squeaked into the locker room with a 29-28 advantage.
The second half began just as gritty as the first. On the Card’s first possession, Rodas was intentionally fouled while driving in for a wide-open layup.
Turner sank just his second basket in the second half, but it proved to be yet another important one and momentum changer, by giving the Cards the lead once again.
Rodas put on a show after that, sinking basket after basket. Rodas finished the game with 36 points, 25 of them coming in the second half
By the end of the game, NIC had scorched their lead up to double digits, and to the crowd’s chants of “undefeated,” the Cards just dribbled out the final possession.
Fans stuck around to watch the coaches and players do the ceremonially cutting the net. Coach Corey was extremely pleased with his team’s efforts.
“It’s not about me, it’s all about these kids. We’ve got a great group of guys, and it was something special to see that.” Said Coach Corey Simmons, “Like I told my assistants, we could coach for 40 more years and never have a year like this. It’s pretty special to be a part of, and we’re going to soak it up and enjoy it. We are a little banged up, so I’m giving them Monday off and then it’s back to work Tuesday to get ready for the Regional Tournament.”
Team Captain Brayon (BJ) Blake was in foul trouble most of the game and only finished with 6 points, but it didn’t stop him from basking in the celebration.
“We set our goals in the preseason to win our league, and hard work is something that we have stayed to all year.” Blake added, “I just want to thank the man upstairs for blessing me, and I appreciate my teammates for working so hard and pushing me to work hard all year. Our support is crazy from Coeur D’Alene and I appreciate all of that too. It’s time to prepare for regionals now….Go Cards.”
The Cardinals are the only team in their division to go undefeated, and the first team in the college’s history to pull of the feat.
The historical feat comes at an opportune time for the team as well.
NIC will be withdrawing from the North Idaho Junior College Athletics Association after this season and as a result, this will mark the last opportunity for the Cardianls to compete on the national level against the top teams in the country.