St. Bonifacius, MN -- Tonight, the men's basketball team from North Central University (NCU) took on day two of the NCCAA National Championships. The Rams faced the host of the tournament, the #4 ranked Crown College (CC) Polars in the semifinal round. This matchup set up a dramatic re-match from last year's championship where the Polars defeated the Rams 75-72 on North Central's home floor. Tonight, NCU flipped the script with an 83-76 victory to advance to the championship once again.

The Rams set the tone early with aggressive offense, led by Carmello McNeal and Carrington McNeal, who both attacked the Crown defense relentlessly. North Central started fast, opening with a jumper from Carrington McNeal followed by a bucket from Carmello McNeal to put NCU on top. As Crown battled back, Tanner Holtman connected on a crucial three-pointer to keep the Rams ahead. Defensive intensity from Cameron Thomas, who collected multiple rebounds and a block in the opening stretch, helped NCU sustain its early lead. At one point, North Central extended the margin to 11 points following a fastbreak layup from Malik Siggers, but Crown fought back, cutting the deficit to just two points by halftime. The Rams entered the break with a 37-35 lead, despite a tough shooting half from beyond the arc (1-13 from three). However, their efficiency inside the paint and a dominant rebounding effort from Thomas (9 rebounds) allowed them to maintain the edge.

The second half was all about Carmello McNeal, who erupted for 20 of his career-high 28 points after halftime. He opened the half with a quick three-pointer and followed it up with a strong drive to the hoop. His ability to convert high-percentage shots (12-22 FG) fueled North Central's second-half surge. The Rams' shooting drastically improved after the break, as they knocked down 46.7% of their three-point attempts. Tanner Holtman and Cameron Thomas each drained key three-pointers that pushed the Rams' lead back to double digits. Despite Crown's attempts to rally behind their post play, North Central's defense stepped up. Remy Wedgeworth-Brown facilitated the offense with 6 assists while also disrupting Crown's ball movement. Malik Siggers made his presence felt late, icing the game at the free-throw line with clutch free throws in the final minute. NCU went on to win 83-76 to move on to the championship game. 

Top Performers:

• Carmello McNeal: 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists
• Carrington McNeal: 14 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals
• Tanner Holtman: 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals
• Cameron Thomas: 7 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 steals

Looking Ahead:

North Central will compete for the 2025 NCCAA DII National Championship tomorrow at 5:00 PM against the #2 ranked Spurgeon College Knights. 

All fans are encouraged to tune into the official Rams Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter (X) pages for updates on men's basketball and all things NCU Athletics.