The North Lake Campus men’s basketball team celebrated its three second-year players in a memorable fashion on Feb. 18, honoring Jordan Edwards, Marco Assirifix and Santana Spivey during Sophomore Night, before playing the final home game of the season. The Blazers closed out conference home play with a 93-85 win over Brookhaven.
Before tipoff, the three second-year players were recognized in a ceremony in center court alongside coaches, teammates and family members. Each received commemorative posters celebrating their time with the Blazers.
For Santana Spivey, the moment represented more than just a ceremony – it reflected the growth he experienced during his time with the program.
“It feels pretty good,” Spivey said. “I learned a lot just by being here, coming from Arkansas, so I learned a lot.”
Spivey said he plans to continue his basketball career after North Lake and hopes to move on to a four-year program. He credited North Lake’s coaching staff, particularly head coach Josh Mills, for helping prepare him for the next level.
“I plan on going to a four-year school,” he said. “Being able to experience a Division I or NAIA school just to be able to play. I think Coach Mills helped me a lot just to be able to be ready for a four-year program. His practices are very, very hard and I think that will give me the chance to be able to play at a D1 level.”
Reflecting on his time with the Blazers, Spivey said the program taught him valuable lessons beyond basketball.
“I learned discipline, being coachable and just how the organization works together,” he said. “Everybody works hard here and it’s amazing to be here.”
After the pregame ceremony, the Blazers quickly turned their focus to the matchup against Brookhaven.
North Lake delivered an efficient offensive performance, shooting 36-for-68 from the field (52.9%) and moving the ball effectively with 29 assists.
Several players led the offensive effort. Zaedyn Owens (#3) scored 15 points, shooting 6-of-10 from the field while adding three rebounds and two assists. Sophomore Jordan Edwards (#5), one of the night’s honourees, also finished with 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting.
Guard Ja’Den Stiggers (#10) added 15 points, hitting three shots from beyond the arc while recording six assists and three steals. Zach Thompson (#13) contributed 13 points, along with nine rebounds and seven assists, the most assist by any player in the game. Damiran Smith (#14) also chipped in 2 points.
The Blazers also received important contributions from the bench. Elijah Black (#11) scored 12 points, knocking down both of his three-point attempts and adding five assists. Sophomore Marco Assirifix (#23), another player honored during the pregame ceremony, finished with nine points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting performance. Romiel Carter (#25) also finished with 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting while grabbing five rebounds, while Ngozi Ofili (#21) chipped in two points.
Defensively, North Lake forced 14 steals and controlled the boards with 28 rebounds, helping to keep the pressure on Brookhaven throughout the game.
The Blazers followed the win with a 71–61 road victory over Richland Campus before entering the NJCAA Division III South Central District Tournament.
North Lake continued its run with an 84–76 win over Mountain View Campus in the quarterfinals and a tightly contested 82–78 victory over Eastfield Campus in the semifinals.
The run culminated Feb. 28 with North Lake defeating Brookhaven 101–79 in the South-Central District Championship at Richland, sending the sixth-ranked Blazers to the NJCAA Division III National Tournament in Herkimer, New York (March 11–14).
North Lake, which owns the most national championships in NJCAA Division III history with five titles, will be making its 10th appearance at the national tournament and its third trip under Coach Mills in four seasons.
