WNCC men ready for regional tournament; first up is Casper College

The WNCC men’s basketball team has one goal on their mind now, to bring home a regional title.

The Cougars will open Region IX tournament play Sunday, March 2 at 1 p.m. against Casper College, a team they have split against during the season.

If the Cougar men win, they will face the winner of the Northwest Wyoming and Northeastern Colorado contest on Monday at 1 p.m. The Region IX Tournament is being held in Torrington, Wyo.

WNCC coach Brian Joyce said his team needs to be ready to play at the tournament both offensively and defensively.

“We have played better lately defensively,” he said. “If we can continue to be consistent defensively, that will put us in a position to win. We also need to take care of the ball on offense.

Joyce said Casper College is a good team and they need to come ready to play. Casper has a 19-11 record on the season, while the Cougars enter with a 16-14 mark. The two teams have faced each other twice this season with WNCC earning the first game 90-81 before falling77-68 on the road.

“Casper has had a good year. I think we know them really well because obviously we have played them twice. We need to do those two things, play good defense and take care of the ball to give ourselves the best chance to win.”

The Cougars, themselves, have shown signs of being a really good team. The Cougars started the season off with five straight wins before losing seven of the next 11 to finish the first semester at 9-7. Since then, they have quietly been getting better defensively and picking up some big wins. The Cougars opened the second semester with three straight wins by topping McCook 89-66, Laramie County 72-71 in double overtime and Casper 90-81.

It was the LCCC win that was dramatic as the Cougars fought back from a sure-defeat to topple the Golden Eagles on the road.

In fact, the one characteristic that has sparked the Cougars is their defense, where the Cougars lead Region IX in defensive shooting, allowing their opponents only 39.7 percent from the floor.

Right behind WNCC is NJC. the 19th-ranked team in the latest NJCAA national polls. The Plainsmen are allowing just 40.5 percent shooting on defense.

Joyce said this tournament is not going to be easy, anybody can win on any given day.

“This is a tough region to win because you have to win four games to go to the national tournament,” he said. “There are a number of teams that can win it. We still have a shot but we have to play well to give ourselves the best chance.”

The tournament kicks off Saturday and Sunday, March 1-2 with first-round contests. Saturday’s games will see Northeastern Colorado opening with Northwest Wyoming at 1 p.m., Sheridan College facing Otero Junior College at 3 p.m., North Platte Community College meeting Laramie County Community College at 6 p.m., and Eastern Wyoming College facing McCook Community College at 8 p.m.

Sunday’s first-round games will pit WNCC against Casper at 1 p.m., Western Wyoming against Northeast Nebraska at 3 p.m., Miles Community College facing Trinidad State Junior College at 6 p.m., and Lamar Community College meeting Dawson Community College at 8 p.m.

Quarterfinal games will be played Monday at 1, 3, 6 and 8 p.m. Semifinals are on Tuesday at 6 and 8 p.m. with the finals slated for Wednesday at 7 p.m. The winner of the tournament qualifies for the NJCAA national tournament in Hutchinson, Kan., March 19-22.

Joyce said the main focus is to win that first game against Casper and not worry about the possibility of playing NJC, who the Cougars have lost to twice this season 106-84 and 69-54.

“It is possible to play NJC, the top team in the tournament. But they have to win their first-round game as well. That is a match-up that could happen,” he said. “Northwest Wyoming is a good team. Andy Ward is a very good coach and Andy has won a number of games being that four-seed, and in fact has gone to the championship game being that four-seed. Nothing is a given at this time of year. Everybody has to play well to move on, and if not you are done. our focus is to do a good job to extend the season.”