WNCC women win 23rd game of season over NJC

The Western Nebraska Community College women’s basketball team used a stern second half defense, holding Northeastern Junior College to just 23 points in claiming a 69-54 win over the Plainswomen Tuesday night at Cougar Palace.

The Cougars not only clamped on the defense, they also received a solid performance from the bench outscoring the Plainswomen 29-7 in registering their 23^rd win of the season in the home finale.

“I thought for one of the first times this semester, we had balanced scoring tonight,” WNCC coach Dave Harnish said. “We had 10 or 11 kids that stepped up and played well tonight. We haven’t been getting kids that stepped up all night. I thought we did that tonight. I thought the energy was better and the effort was better. It was one of our better games in the last month.”

For much of the first half, though, the Plainswomen were controlling the tempo. NJC held a 27-19 lead with 3:51 to play on a Sarah Conner 3-pointer. After Conner’s trey, the momentum swung with the Cougars going on a 12-0 run behind a stern defensive behind the ball-hawking of Kiki Taylor and the shooting of freshman Chelsea Lyles.

Taylor started the run by recording a steal and bucket with 2:46 to play in the half. Taylor followed that with another steal and an assist to Lyles to swing the momentum. WNCC kept hammering away with the deficit as Tiara Scott hit a bucket on a Emma Beddome pass. Lyles came right back to drain a 3-pointer with 1:01 to left in the opening half for the Cougars first lead since early in the game.

Seconds later, Dana Iverson found Lyles for an open bucket inside the paint and she was fouled to boot. Lyles calmly hit the free throw to put WNCC up 31-27. NJC came back as Roni Whitman hit four free throws in the final seconds to tie the game at half at 31.

“We tried to man them the entire first half and then we went into more of a trapping zone defense right before halftime which got us back into it,” Harnish said. “I think we were down 27-19 and then switched defenses. Changing our defense was crucial. They are tough to man because they are guard oriented. With our size, and their quickness it gives us problem.”

Both teams traded buckets left and right at the start. Conner, a Guernsey-Sunrise graduate, nailed her second 3-pointer of the game to put the Plainswomen up 34-33. It didn’t last long as WNCC went on a 8-2 run to go up 41-36 with 12:30 to play.

NJC battled back to tied the game at 41 on a Kristen Forbes 3-pointer with 11:03 to play. Beddome quickly answered with a 3-pointer of her own, giving the Cougars the lead for good. Beddome’s trey started a 14-4 run that helped the Cougars mount a double-digit lead over the next four minutes on a Lesley Olson 3-pointer at 55-45.

NJC never cracked single digits the rest of the way as WNCC’s trapping zone defense was too much for the Plainswomen.

WNCC placed four players in double figures. Scott led the way with 12 points followed by 10 points each from Beddome, Lyles and Aurelle Derenoncourt. Beddome’s 10 points led the team off the bench.

“I think everybody stepped up [tonight] with Alison out,” Harnish said. “I thought Aurelle and Emma playing a lot of minutes was a key. We also hit a couple of threes there in the second half to open things up. The kids stepped up tonight and that is what you need to have.”

Jackie Davis paced NJC with 14 points followed by Whitman with 13 and Conner with 11.

WNCC will finish the regular season Friday at Otero Junior College before beginning the Region IX tournament in Casper with a first round game against McCook Community College on March 3.

NE Colorado (22-6) 31 23 – 54
WNCC (23-1) 31 38 – 69
NORTHEASTERN JUNIOR COLLEGE
Roni Whitman 13, Sarah Conner 11, Kristen Forbes 6, Daria Basova 9, Jackie Davis 14, Taija Bennet 1.

WESTERN NEBRASKA
Kiki Taylor 7, Dana Iverson 1, Emma Beddome 10, Tiara Scott 12, Lesley Olson 3, Aurelle Derenoncourt 10, Victoria Martin 6, Shiraya Soto 8, Chelsea Lyles 10, Carly Glisan 2.