HUTCHINSON — Head coach Steve Forbes and his No. 9-seeded Northwest Florida State Community College basketball team lost to Central Florida 74-69 in Saturday’s title game in the NJCAA Division-I Men’s Basketball Championship at the Sports Arena.
Northwest Florida State (31-4) finished as national runner-up for the second year in a row. The game was a rematch of the Florida District Championship, which Central Florida (34-3) won 74-71 on March 8 at Mariana, Fla.
Forbes was the head basketball coach at formerly named Barton County Community College from 1995-98, compiling a three-year record of 68-28. He was an assistant coach for the Cougars from 1993-95.
After Forbes left Barton, he was an assistant coach at Idaho. Forbes has also had stints as an assistant coach at Louisiana Tech (2000-03), Illinois State (2003-04), Texas A&M (2005-06) and Tennessee (2006-2011).
NJCAA D-I Men’s
Basketball Championship
at Hutchinson
Sports Arena
Monday
First round
North Platte, Neb. 76, Mineral Area, Mo. 50
Northwest Florida State 81, South Carolina-Salkehatchie 54
Howard, Texas 63, East Mississippi 54
Lee, Texas 104, Hagerstown, Md. 97
Kilgore, Texas 80, Shelton State, Ala. 58
Coffeyville 77, Walters State, Tenn. 53
Tuesday
First round
Motlow State, Tenn, 70, Connors State, Okla. 66
Salt Lake, Utah 86, Eastern Oklahoma State 82
Second round
Iowa Western-Council Bluffs 79, North Platte, Neb. 74
Northwest Florida State 88, New Mexico 87, OT
Howard, Texas 92, Hutchinson 69
Vincennes, Ind. 84, Lee, Texas 80
Wednesday
Second round
Spartanburg Methodist, S.C. 53, Kilgore, Texas 51
East Georgia 79, Coffeyville 47
Central Florida 79, Motlow State, Tenn. 63
Central Arizona 87, Salt Lake, Utah 82
Thursday’s Quarterfinals
Northwest Florida State 87, Iowa Western 81
Vincennes, Ind. 70, Howard, Texas 65
Spartanburg Methodist 75, East Georgia 68
Central Florida 81, Central Arizona 68
Friday's Semifinals
Northwest Florida State 76, Vincennes, Ind. 69
Central Florida 71, Spartanburg Methodist 61
Saturday
Third place
Spartanburg Methodist 100, Vincennes, Ind. 93 (2 OT)
Championship
Central Florida 74, Northwest Florida State 69
