The Western Nebraska Community College and Colby Community College women’s basketball teams combined for 41 fouls in a contest that, at times, resembled more of a football game instead of a basketball game.
In the end, the Cougar women fought their way to their 12th win of the season behind Samantha Sanders’ points to lead WNCC to a 67-52 win in the second day of the Holiday Classic at Cougar Palace. The contest saw seven lead changes, five ties, and 45 free throw attempts.
The earlier came saw Air Force Prep roll over Hastings College junior varsity 71-36 as Erica Norwood finished with 25 points. Norwood has scored 54 points in Prep’s two wins in the Holiday Classic. Air Force Prep and WNCC will tangle Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. in the final game of the Classic. The first contest pits Colby against Hastings College at 1 p.m. In WNCC’s contest Friday, the Cougars trailed the percentage of the first half as Cougar coach Dave Harnish said his team came out flat. The Cougars also couldn’t get into a groove offensively as Colby led by as much as four, 25-21 with three minutes left in the half before WNCC took a 28-27 lead into halftime.
“We just don’t come out of the gate with a lot of intensity and get after people defensively, and knock shots down and have rhythm offensively,” Harnish said. “We have done that three or four times this year, and it was the same thing tonight. We just don’t come out with any aggressiveness in any game. We have to learn.”
The second half was a totally different story for the Cougars as that intensity that was missing in the first half magically appeared in the second half. “The second half we come out and have good intensity and get up by 10,” Harnish said. “We do let them back in it when I thought Colby executed really well and knocked some shots down. We just came out and played with more intensity and desire to win the game in the second half.”
The Cougars also found a groove offensively as they opened the half on a 15-4 run that was highlighted by a bit 3-pointer by Idil Ozbayrak for a 43-31 lead. Colby, however, fought back with a 10-0 run of their own that saw the Trojans slice the lead to 43-41 with 11:34 to play. WNCC bounced back with an 11-4 run that saw Jessica Aratani score five points. After that, WNCC kept the lead above six points the rest of the way.
WNCC had just one player in double figures with Sanders scoring 22 points, including going 8 of 11 from the free throw line. Also contributing offensively was Ozbayrak with nine points, seven rebounds and five assists; Kelsey Doddridge with eight points and four rebounds; Leona Garrett with seven points and five rebounds; and Aratani with six points and nine rebounds.
“It is the last game of the year [2011] and we just need to eliminate our mistakes,” Harnish said. “We just need to do a better job tomorrow against a good team.”
First Game
Hastings J.V. 20 16 – 36
Air Force Prep 37 34 – 71
HASTINGS JV
Kenzie Archer 7, Nia-Renee Simms 6, Rachel Walton 6, Hillary Knake 2, Morgan Lorenzen 3, Amanda Downey 4, Sydney Gartner 2, Jaime Blevins 2, Amber Rasmussen 4.
AIR FORCE PREP
Christina Gamble 4, Erica Norwood 25, Alex Guiraud 5, Samantha Fender 10, Saphira Philson 2, Ashley Cunningham 2, Danielle Jackson 2, Taylor Parker 10, Emonna Knox 11.
Second Game
Colby CC 27 25 – 52
WNCC (12-3) 28 39 -- 67
COLBY C.C.
Cheyenne Eisenhour 2, Brooke Bursiek 10, Morgan Rickwartz 3, Kalarina Popovic 7, Emily Torson 2, Shantydra Arnold 11, Liga Vente 6, Marie McAbee 7.
WNCC
Samantha Sanders 22, Leona Garrett 7, Lisa Durden 6, Kyra Peterson 5, ChaCha Ofoegbu 3, Idil Ozbayrak 9, Kelsey Doddridge 8, Jessica Aratani 6, Ajsa Zdovc 1.
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