SUPERIOR, Wis. – North Central's Micah Filer scored 28 points and grabbed eight rebounds to help the Rams to a 70-56 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference victory on Friday.
 
Filer shot 10-for-16 from the field – pouring in 16 first-half points – as NCU led nearly the entire night. 
 
Junior Josef Fahrenholtz (Chatfield, Minn./Chatfield) scored a career-high 18 points, adding nine rebounds, to pace the Yellowjackets. Classmate Xavier Patterson (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) tallied 13 points, three assists and two steals as Superior fell to 8-14 overall and 4-7 in the UMAC.
 
Patterson knocked down a 3-pointer that made it 7-4 in the early going before North Central (12-10, 6-5 UMAC) used an 11-1 to take a 22-12 lead with 8:49 remaining in the first half. Filer pushed the lead to 27-15 on a trey with less than seven minutes left prior to halftime, and the Rams held a 36-27 edge at the break.
 
The Yellowjackets worked the deficit to eight points with another Patterson triple 1:20 into the second half, but got no closer.
 
North Central built its cushion to 59-39 with 7:25 on the clock when Filer hit a free throw and it later grew to the largest on the night at 23 as Kayden Sund canned a jumper, making it 64-41.
 
North Central shot 51 percent from the field, while limiting the Yellowjackets to just 39 percent. 
 
UWS closes its regular-season home slate Saturday at 4:45 p.m, hosting Northwestern at Mertz Mortorelli Gymnasium.