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By David Boyce  |  Championship Game TV Coverage

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Unselfish play and trust in each other or more simply put, Bearcat basketball led Northwest Missouri State to an impressive 69-51 victory over Fort Hays State Saturday evening at Municipal Auditorium.
 
"Nobody cares about their stats and we are about each other," said Northwest's only senior Conner Crooker, who finished with 15 points. "We make the extra pass or two. It is really fun to be a part of."
 
The style has allowed Northwest to pile up many victories.
 
The 14th win in a row by Northwest puts the team in the championship game of the MIAA Tournament. Northwest, 23-5, will play Nebraska-Kearney, 20-10, at 3:30 p.m. Sunday.
 
"I think the pressure is on now that you are there," said Northwest coach Ben McCollum. "What do you do with that? Our kids are excited, but it is unfinished business."
 
Northwest decided the semifinal game in the first half. Northwest went into halftime with a 38-28 lead and a key reason for the double-digit advantage was the trust the Bearcats have in each other.
 
Through the first 10 minutes, Crooker was struggling with his shot. He missed his first four attempts.
 
With the game tied at 17-17, Pitts walked down the court with the ball calmly pointed to junior Zach Schneider to set a screen. The screen allowed Pitts to penetrate and then he passed it back outside to Crooker.
 
"He is a great player, and we know he is going to find us," Crooker said.
 
Crooker rewarded Pitts for the pass by drilling a three-pointer. His shot was back. The Bearcats were ready to roll. D'Vante Mosby made it 21-17 on a free throw.
 
After another defensive stop, the Bearcats found Crooker again and hit another three-pointer. Northwest stopped Fort Hays once again and Crooker swished another three-pointer. In less than 3 minutes, Northwest went from a tie game to a 27-17 lead.
 
"Once Conner gets it rolling, he is pretty tough to stop," McCollum said. "I thought he was more aggressive than he was the other day."
 
Northwest maintained a nice advantage because of a couple of three-pointers from Pitts. With a minute left in the first half, the Bearcats displayed more teamwork on offense. Pitts started to drive and then he threw a bounce pass to Mosby cutting to the basket. Mosby made the layup and was fouled on the play. He converted the free throw, giving Northwest a 38-25 lead.
 
"I thought defensively we weren't as active as the day before, but as the game progressed, we really got active and did what we wanted to do," McCollum said. "Offensively, I thought we were really sharp. We got to our spots. Our kids competed."
 
The Bearcats had 11 assists on its 14 made field goals and only had three turnovers in the first half.
 
"Zach was setting ball screens and once I got to the middle, they collapsed and that left Conner open and Conner was feeling good today. He was hitting shots," said Pitts, who finished with 20 points and nine assists.
 
In the second half, Northwest put on a clinic in team basketball on both ends of the court and made sure Fort Hays never got back in the game.
 
The Tigers cut their deficit to less than 10 at 43-34 early in the second half. Northwest responded by scoring the next seven points. The final two points in the 7-0 run was a layup from Pitts off a pass from Mosby, making it 50-34.
 
The cuts to the basket worked all night for the Bearcats. They completely ended any hope for Fort Hays with 4:40 left. Crooker found Mosby cutting to the basket and delivered a perfect pass that resulted in an easy layup, pushing Northwest's lead 64-44.