WNCC men topple Otero for 15th win of the year

The Western Nebraska Community College men's basketball team held Otero Junior College to just 17 percent shooting in the first half, and then hit clutch free throws down the stretch to capture a 76-67 win over Otero Junior College Saturday afternoon at Cougar Palace.
               The Cougar men also received clutch performances from a handful of players, including Hauns Brereton. Brereton kept his hot shooting tough going, finishing with a game high 26 points. Joe Stock also had the hot hand, finishing with 19 points, including four 3-pointers. Raul Delgado also finished in double figures with 10 points.
               "The key for us in the game was the defense," WNCC coach Russ Beck said. "Our first half really helped us get the win. We knew they were going to make runs in the second half and cut into our lead. We let it get a little bit closer than I liked, but we held them to 17 percent shooting in the first half and we came out firing on all cylinders. i thought it was a great team effort tonight."
               The key for the Cougar men was their first half play, especially how the Cougars clamped doen on defense.
               "The roster is trimmed down, and we  now  have  more of a team. W are playing together," Beck said. "We are playing better team defense. IN the first half we were really moving the ball and making that extra pass and it was "
               The first half definitely belonged to the Cougar. After Otero took a 6-5 lead early, the Cougar men came back to go on a 10-0 run. The run was highlighted by a 3-pointer from Stock. WNCC kept excelling as they went up 30-13 on two dunks by Marko Kovacevic. WNCC went on to lead 36-19 at halftime.
               WNCC pushed the lead to 55-41 in the second half on six straight points from Brereton. WNCC led 62-51 with five minutes to play. That was when Otero made a run, scoring the next nine points to cut the lead to 62-60. Otero cut the deficit to a single point with 2:30 left in the game. Brereton changed the momentum in a heartbeat with a thundering one-handed dunk. After the free throw, the Cougars were up 68-621 and 6 of 8 free throws in the final minute for the team's 15th win of the season.
               WNCC shot 43 percent from the field while holding Otero to just 33 percent shooting. The Cougars also out-rebounded the Rattlers 44-43. The big key was the Cougars took care of the ball, committing just eight turnovers.
               Beck said this team is starting to gel as a cohesive unit.
               "We played a lot of tough teams early on and I think it is benefiting us here late," he said. "We have seen a lot of growth in our team. I think we have won six out of our last eight games, and lost the other two by a total of three points. I think we are starting to get better at the right time. We are really focused on this game with McCook coming up. We are treating these four games, including today's game, like the tournament."
               The Cougar men have just three regular season games left. The Cougar will face McCook and North Platte on the road on Tuesday and Wednesday, before returning home for a Saturday afternoon tilt with Northeastern Junior College beginning at 2 p.m.

Otero (16-13)                    19 48 -- 67
WNCC (15-12)                   36 40 -- 76
OTERO JUNIOR COLLEGE
Antonio Higgins 4, Jamaal West 8, Justin Clark 2, Dylan Fritsch 19, Wes McKenzie 7, Lucas Archuleta 3, Josh Pheasant 14, Oscar Garcia 10.
WESTERN NEBRASKA
Brady Mason 6, Preston Eaton 1, Justin Standley 2, Joe Stock 19, Hauns Brereton 26, Raul Delgado 10, Marko Kovecevic 5, Miguel Ramos 2, Aaron Turner 5.