[March 7] STERLING,
Colo. – After running by Miles Community College on Sunday 87-57 in the first
round of the Region IX Tournament in Sterling, Colo., the Cougars couldn’t hold
a halftime lead in falling to No. 6 Northeastern Junior College in the
quarterfinals on Monday.
WNCC
led 32-29 at intermission, but let NJC go on a 19-0 run and scored just 20
second-half points in falling to the Plainsmen 81-52. WNCC ends their season at
18-14, while NJC advances to the semifinals to face Sheridan College.
The
other semifinal will pit North Platte against Gillette with the two semifinals
winners playing for the title on Wednesday.
Monday’s
loss was unfortunate as WNCC played well in the first half as Joel Einfeldt hit
a 3-pointer with three seconds left to give the Cougars a 32-29 halftime lead.
The
big difference in the game was 3-pointer shooting because in the first half,
WNCC was 5 of 14 from behind the arc, while the Plainsmen were 0 of 11. The
second half, well, was a different story as NJC lit up from long range, burying
8 of 10.
NJC
couldn’t miss, either, scoring the first 19 points of the half to take a 48-32
lead. WNCC didn’t score its first points until with 11:54 to play as Diante
Mitchell hit two free throws. WNCC’s first field goal didn’t come until the 9:42
minute mark.
WNCC
shot just 32 percent for the game compared to 53 percent for NJC. The Plainsmen
were 67 percent in the second half. The Cougars did convert more free throws
than NJC, connecting on 13 of 23 compared to 9 of 17 for NJC.
The
Cougars also were close in rebounding, getting out-rebounded just 38-35.
Youssoupha Kane and Brandon Morley led the team with six boards each.
The
Cougars had just two players hit double digits on Monday. Einfeldt led the way
with 14 points, while Tyler Crosbie had 10.
Monday’s
game was totally opposite from Sunday’s win when Crosbie scored 25 points in
the win over Miles Community College. In fact, WNCC’s effort on Sunday was the
least amount of points allowed in the first round. Now, NJC holds that mark
after holding the Cougars to just 52 points.
Against
Miles, the Cougars offense was lightning hot, netting 45 percent of their
shots. The Cougars also connected on 7 of 16 3-pointers. What also helped the
Cougars Sunday night was rebounding, where they out-rebounded the Pioneers
55-34, led by Kane's 15 boards.
The
Cougars didn't catch fire until five minutes into the game. Miles held an 8-4
lead and that was when the momentum turned. WNCC went on a 13-0 run to lead
17-8 behind 3-pointers by Derrick Bowers and Crosbie.
WNCC
finished off the first half with a strong defensive effort, holding Miles to
not making back-to-back buckets. WNCC led 44-27 at the break.
Just
like the first half, the Cougars opened the second half with another big run,
going on a 17-7 run that pushed the lead to 61-34. WNCC never let up as they
went up by 33 points, 77-45 on back-to-back tom-a-hawk dunks by Jalen Griffiths
and Julio Guity as they cruised to the first-round win.
Crosbie
led all scorers with 25 points, including five 3-pointers. WNCC also received
14 points from Brandon Morley, 12 points from Preston Christensen, and 11
points from Derrick Bowers.
Miles
had just two players in double figures. Tyree King and Quinn Smith each had 10
points.
Sunday’s
Game
WNCC 44 43 -- 87
Miles 27 30 -- 57
WNCC
Tyler
Crosbie 25, Preston Christensen 12, Youssoupha Kane 7, Diante Mitchell 6,
DouDou Gueye 3, Jalen Griffiths 3, Derrick Bowers 11, Brandon Morley 14, Julio
Guity 6.
Miles
Conner Smyle 2, Tyree King 12, Greg Spencer 4, Ryan
McCarty 7, Teslim Idris 6, Jonathon Dogbo 7, Quinn Smith 12, LaSalle Massey 6,
Emmanuel Olufemi 1.
Monday’s Game
WNCC 32
20 – 52
NE Colorado 29
52 – 81
WNCC
Tyler Crosbie 10, Preston Christensen 6, Youssoupha Kane
2, Diante Mitchell 8, DouDou Gueye 1, Joel Einfeldt 14, Jalen Griffiths 2,
Derrick Bowers 4, Brandon Morley 4, Julio Guity 1.
NORTHEASTERN COLORADO
Jamel Crocker 10, Odessa Lear 10, Arek Mawien 2, Duol
Mayot 4, Isiah Cooper 5, Bronson Moton 5, Alex Dew-Merriex 3, Joe Dellenback 3,
Jamel Peterson 18, Lake Reed 5, Joe Uke 17
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