One of the most intense junior college basketball rivalries in the state unfolds Thursday as the Northeastern A&M Golden Norsemen host No. 25th ranked Connors State College at 8 p.m. in the NEO Field House.


All area high school students are invited to attend both women's and men's game free of charge as part of "High School Night" festivities co-hosted by the college athletic department and the NEO Student Recruitment department.
"We would like for students to learn about NEO's 43 academic programs, five residence halls and dozens of clubs and organizations," Scott Donaldson, director of student recruitment said. "Additionally, there will be free tee shirts, food and an IPad giveaway for students who register."
Registration is at 5:30 p.m. in the foyer of the NEO Field House.
Both NEO and Connors State are returning to action following an extended Christmas break.
Coach Dustin Grover's Golden Norse are 10-4 on the season and 2-1 in the Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference. The Golden Norsemen are on a five-game winning streak following a 78-77 win on Dec. 12 at Allen County Community College in Iola, Kan. 
NEO has not played before a hometown crowd since Nov. 25 when Murray State College posted a 74-63 conference win over the Norsemen.
"We've been working hard since we came back right after the new year," Grover said. "Going into the break we felt like we needed to have a couple of more players step up and work their way into our rotations.
"That has happened which will be very beneficial to us since all of the games the second half of the season are conference games," Grover said. "We feel like we've fortified and increased our depth coming off the bench."
Dean of all Region 2 coaches, Bill Muse is in his 21st season as head coach of the Connors State Cowboys. After dropping a 96-75 OCAC contest on Dec. 10 to Redlands College in Warner, the Cowboys are 3-1 in the conference and 12-2 overall.
"This is one of those games where both teams are really into it because of the long-standing tradition between the two schools," Grover said. "Coach Muse does a great job of getting his players prepared, so we'll really have to play at another level."
Under Muse, the Cowboys made their seventh trip to the National Junior College Athletic Association National Tournament in Hutchinson, Kan., last year. 
Although the Cowboys dropped a 98-88 decision to Eastern State College in the Region 2 Tournament title game, Connors qualified for the national tournament as an at-large team. The Cowboys dropped a 70-66 verdict to Motlow, Tenn., to finish 24-9 on the season.
During the regular season last year NEO split the two-game series with Connors. The Golden Norse posted a 96-85 victory in the NEO Field House before the Cowboys earned a 79-68 win at the Melvin Self Field House.
"Connors has one of the most talented inside players in the area in forward (Willie) Atwood," Grover said. "Although they are very athletic and talented on the inside, their perimeter game isn't as solid as ours."
Atwood (6-8 from Memphis, Tenn.) is one of five returning sophomores for the Cowboys. Atwood leads the Cowboys with a 21.6 scoring average and an 8.2 rebounding mark. 
Sophomore guard Quan Jones along with freshmen guards Coribe Ervin and Ronnie Boyce are also scoring in double figures for Connors. 
Jones (6-3 from Little Rock, Ark.) has an 11.1 scoring mark with 64 assists and 25 steals.
Ervin (6-3 from Oklahoma City) is averaging 11.6 points with 67 assists and 38 steals.
Boyce (6-4 from Oklahoma City) averages 10.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.
Sophomore guard Christian Leach (6-4 from Washington, D.C.) leads the Golden Norse with a 16.7 scoring mark with 47 assists and 19 steals.
Veteran guard Derrick Frye (6-5 from Atlanta, Ga.) has a 16.2 scoring mark while veteran guard Ja'mill Powell (6-7 from Bridgeport, Conn.) has a 14.5 scoring average and freshman post Igor Ibaka (6-9 from the Republic of the Congo) has a 12.8 point production.