The Western Nebraska Community College women’s basketball
team is living up to the national attention they are receiving right now,
vaulting in the national spotlight with a No. 6 ranking in the latest NJCAA
national polls.
The
ranking or unbeaten record is not a surprise to the team. Ashley Stevens, a
freshman form Bridgeport, said what they are doing on the court is a testament
of the hard work they have put in during the pre-season.
“It
has been a long road to get here but it is nice that all the hard work is paying
off,” she said. “We put in a lot of hard work we first came here, including
getting up on Fridays and running our miles to.”
Stevens
said the only pressure that is on their back is the everyday pressure of
playing together as a unit.
“There
is the pressure that we need to play good every game. It will be nice if we can
keep going this way, but if not, we will need to regroup and get back on it,”
she said. “Being ranked is news to me and it is good that we are getting some
recognition now. We just need to play every game because we know everybody will
be after us knowing that we are up there.”
The
Cougars will showcase their talent to the fans this weekend when they host the
Lady Cougar Holiday Classic. Action begins Thursday when the Cougars face Colby
Community College at 7 p.m. Action continues Friday and Saturday as the Cougars
face Hastings College junior varsity on Friday at 5 p.m. and then Air Force
Prep at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
Stevens
said they are looking forward to playing at home this weekend.
“This
weekend we just need to keep our noses to the grindstone and pushing through,”
she said. “We can never give up on anything. Even if we are tired, we still
need to keep going. It is the will to win more than anything.”
The
Cougars success this season is a combination of a stellar defense and an
offense that just gets the job done. Stevens said having those two components
equals wins for the team. The Cougars are in the top 20 in scoring at 74.9
points a game. WNCC has scored over 85 points a game four times season,
including a 96-31 win over Colorado Christian.
Better
yet, the Cougars defense right now is one of the best in school history as the
Cougars are giving up just 40 points a game. The Cougars have given up the
least amount of points in Region IX this season with the other regionals with
Central Wyoming allowing giving up 50 points a game and Eastern Wyoming College
allowing 60 points a game.
Stevens
said having both sides of the ball performing well is a testament to the work ethic
of the players.
“Our
defensive pressure is what helps gets us our offensive points,” she said. “What
we are doing is just a team effort.”
WNCC’s
explosion in the rankings has come as a surprise. The Cougars last were ranked
in the nation in February 2011. Last season, the Cougars never were ranked.
This season, the Cougars entered the rankings at No. 22 on Nov. 21. Then, after
bettering Casper College by 30 points 72-42 on Nov. 20, the Cougars leapfrogged
the competition to a number 8 ranking last week.
This
week, the Cougars are tied at sixth with Georgia Highlands College. The top
five in the poll include North Idaho College at 9-0 on top followed by
Hutchinson Community College (10-0), Northwest Florida State College (10-0),
Iowa Western Community College (11-0), and Trinity Valley Community College
(11-1).
Only
one other Region IX team is ranked and that is Gillette College at No. 14 with
a 12-1 record.
The
rankings this season will play a big part in the national tournament after the
NJCAA revamped the men’s and women’s tournament. Gone is the 16-team tournament
with a consolation bracket. Instead, the tournament is now up to 24 teams with
the addition of four at-large teams along with four different regions each year
getting a second team into the tournament. Region IX won’t get an automatic
second team until 2016, but they still can get an at-large team besides the
Region IX champion.
Nationals
will now feature a single elimination tournament beginning on Monday and one
loss and a team’s season is finished. The at-large teams will be determined by
three factors, and the rankings in the national polls play a 60 percent factor
in the selection. After that, 20 percent each of the at-large selection will be
based on strength of schedule and the region’s history at the national
tournament.
For
now, though, the Cougar women are focused on the task at hand and that is just
getting better game by game. Stevens said this team has a lot of talent,
especially after this weekend when they beat a talented Las Vegas Heat all-star
team that featured players that played at Division I schools. WNCC won 91-68
against Heat.
“They
[Las Vegas Heat] were very athletic and knew what to do,” she said. “They
played college basketball before. Coach Harnish told us that one of the girls
played at Notre Dame. They were just smart. We just ran the floor well because
they weren’t in shape like us, so we had to tire them out.”
The
Las Vegas Heat and Casper wins really have set this team apart. Stevens said
the depth of the team is starting to stand out.
“We
have a full bench of players that can come in at any time,” she said.
“Offensively this team is starting to gel. We are getting to a point where we
can see each other. We play well together and we know where each other will go.
Our offense is coming around a lot.”
After
this weekend’s Holiday Classic, the Cougars will wrap up the first semester
with a road trip to Colorado Christian junior varsity on Tuesday. Then the
Cougars will begin sub-region play in January with hopes of winning the south
sub-region and hosting the Region IX tournament in March.
Lady Cougar Holiday Classic Schedule
Thursday, Dec. 6
7 p.m. – WNCC vs. Colby
Friday, Dec. 7
3 p.m. – Colby vs. Air Force Prep
5 p.m. – WNCC vs. Hastings College J.V.
7 p.m. – WNCC men vs. Northwest Kansas Tech
Saturday, Dec. 8
1 p.m. – Colby vs. Hastings College J.V.
3 p.m. – WNCC vs. Air Force Prep
No comments:
Post a Comment