WNCC women go to 17-0 on season with win over Otero on the road

LA JUNTA, Colo. -- Kyra Peterson poured in 16 points and the Western Nebraska Community College women's basketball team played strong defense in picking up their 17th win of the season with an impressive 64-53 win over Otero Junior College Saturday afternoon on the road.
               WNCC coach Dave Harnish was pleased with his squad picking up a quality win over Otero, who came into the contest as the top defensive team in the nation.
               "I feel a lot better after this win," Harnish said. "We played with a lot better intensity. We came out pretty strong and took control and had the lead the entire game. The defense was also solid tonight. We got up by 14 in the second half and they cut it back down to about four. But, then we worked it back up to 20. The kids played with good intensity, battled and rebounded well, and defended well. It definitely is a good win against a good team."
               The Cougars bolted to a 27-20 lead and kept control of the contest throughout. The big key in the came was rebounding, where the Cougars out-rebounded the Rattlers 43-33. TIffany Moorer led the team with seven rebounds.
               WNCC also got balanced scoring, as nine players found the scorebook, including three in double figures. Peterson had 16 points, including two 3-pointers to pace the team. Moorer finished with 13 while Samantha Sanders had 10 points and one 3-pointer.
               Harnish said Otero is not an easy place to play and come away  with a win. Plus, the Rattlers are a salty ballclub, having knocked WNCC out of the Region IX tournament a year ago.
               "This is a tough place to play," Harnish said. "They have a good coach and they play hard. It is a tough environment down here with the crowd. The kids got the lead up to 20 and kept the crowd quite. We did a good job tonight."
               The 16th-ranked Cougars will return to action Tuesday when they travel to Casper College Tuesday night before returning home to face Northeast (Neb.) Community College Saturday afternoon. Saturday's contest tips off at 1 p.m. and is a sub-region contest.

WNCC (17-0)                     27 37 -- 64
Otero (12-3)                       20 33 -- 53
WESTERN NEBRASKA
Samantha Sanders 10, Shelby Campbell 4, Tiffany Moorer 13, Thais Pinto 1, Carolina Alves 8, Kyra Peterson 16, ChaCha Ofoegbu 1, Leona Garrett 6, Shelby Jones 4.