NORFOLK -- What a difference a half can make for the Western Nebraska Community College men's basketball team.
The Cougar men sizzled the net for 62 percent shooting in the first half before slipping to 32 percent shooting in the second half. The end result saw, unfortunately, the Cougar men falling to Sheridan College 74-67 in second-round action at the Region IX men's basketball tournament in Norfolk on Sunday. The loss ended the Cougars' season at 18-14.
WNCC played one of its best halves of the year during the opening 20 minutes, shooting 62 percent and burying five 3-pointers in running to a 43-32 halftime lead. The Cougars first half domination started just five minutes into the contest. Trailing 6-4, WNCC went on a 21-3 run to lead 25-9 on a Brady Mason bucket.
Sheridan battled back to slice the lead to five, 34-29 but the Cougars reasserted themselves, going on a 9-3 run which included a big 3-pointer by Joe Stock for the halftime lead.
The second half was a reversal of fortunes for the two teams. Sheridan sizzled the nets for 52 percent and the Cougars managed just 32 percent shooting, including making just two treys. Sheridan College wasted little time in controlling the momentum, outscoring the Cougars 25-7 in the first 10 minutes of the half. Sheridan retook the lead at 48-47 on a 3-pointer and moved it to their biggest lead of the game at 11 points, 62-51 on a Kendrick Morse 3-pointer.
WNCC fought back, cutting the lead to seven points, 65-58, on four points by Raul Delgado and a bucket by Mike Peltz. The Cougars got even closer with under three minutes to play at 67-63 on Delgado 3-pointer, but clutch free throw shooting down the stretch moved the Generals into the semifinals on Monday against Casper College.
WNCC had just two players hit double figures. Delgado paced the team with 19 points and Hauns Brereton with 17 points. Brereton scored all his points in the first half.
Sheridan was paced by four players in double figures. Lamont Prosser finished with a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds. Jarrell Crayton led all scorers with 20 points, while Omar McDade finished with 15 points, and Kendrick Morse with 11 points.
A bit difference in the contest was rebounding, where Sheridan had a big advantage, winning that statistic 37-24. WNCC's leading rebounder was Brereton with six boards and Delgado with five.
The final four will be an all-Wyoming series with Sheridan facing Casper in one semifinal and Western Wyoming battling Laramie County in the other semifinal.
Other quarterfinal scores on Sunday saw Laramie County drop Central Wyoming 78-73, Western Wyoming eliminate Northeastern Colorado 78-58, and Casper needed overtime to defeat Miles City 88-81.
WNCC 43 24 -- 67
Sheridan 32 42 -- 74
WESTERN NEBRASKA
Brady Mason 4, Joe Stock 6, Hauns Brereton 17, Raul Delgado 19, Marko Kovacevic 3, Mike Peltz 9, Justin Standley 5, Miguel Gotti-Ramos 2, Aaron Turner 2.
SHERIDAN
Khion Stankey 2, Omar McDade 15, Matt Glover 9, Jarrell Crayton 20, Kendrick Morse 11, Rage Geringer 3, Lamont Prosser 14.
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