It wasn’t a good evening for the Western Nebraska Community College men’s and women’s basketball teams Wednesday against Northeastern Junior College.
The men hung with the Plainsmen in the first half and then watched NJC pick up the intensity to cruise to a 106-84 win.
The WNCC women saw their 13-game win streak come to a halt with a commanding 79-61 defeat to the Plainswomen.
For both teams, it was a matter of facing two hot-shooting NJC teams. The NJC men shot 58 from the field and opened up a tight game in the last minutes of the first half to hold a 52-44 halftime lead. The Cougars, though, were within striking distance most of the first half, holding a 21-19 lead after two Kelvin Franklin treys and a Deividas Busma old-fashioned 3-point play.
WNCC kept the game close until the Plainsmen went on a 9-0 run to grab a 30-25 lead. WNCC did cut the lead to 34-29 on a Busma bucket. The Cougars sliced the lead to even closer on back-to-back Busma buckets at 44-40, only to watch NJC take the halftime lead.
In the second half, the Cougar men shot just 34 percent from the field and quickly were taken out of the contest as the Plainsmen built a 68-48 lead. WNCC, though, kept hanging tough battling to the final buzzer, but couldn’t get within 20 points.
The Cougars did put three players in double figures. Daniel Smith led the way with 22 points followed by Kelvin Franklin with 21 points, including five 3-pointers. Busma also had 17 points and seven rebounds in the loss.
NJC had six players in double figures, led by Mike Dominguez with 18 points.
The Cougar women couldn’t find any rhythm after the first 10 minutes of the game as the Plainswomen shot well and generated 13 steals in stopping the Cougar women’s 13-game winning streak.
But WNCC was its own worst enemy shooting just 39 percent from the field and were just 57 percent from the charity stripe. The Cougars also nailed just 3 of 12 from 3-point arc.
NJC, on the other hand, seemed to not miss hitting on 58 percent from the field while knocking down five 3-pointers. NJC’s dominance started early as Guernsey-Sunrise’s Jennifer Garner nailed the first five points of the game on a 3-pointer and then a field goal. WNCC, however, bounced back tying the game on an Alison Cheney bucket off an assist by Tawny Drexler at 8-8.
Cheney came right back to give the Cougars their only lead of the game at the 13:21 minute mark. The game was tied twice after that, the final time at 12 on two Dana Iverson free throws. After that, the Plainswomen kicked it into second gear, going on a 30-17 run, highlighted by five more points by Garner and also clutch free throw shooting and buckets by Kristen Forbes. Forbes scored seven of her game-high 23 points in the first half to help NJC to a 42-29 halftime lead.
The second half was much of the same for the Cougar women, where they couldn’t get a run started to slice into the lead. NJC pushed the lead to 21 points, 56-33, going on a 12-2 with 13:01 to play.
WNCC did, however, put together a mini 10-4 run to cut the lead to 67-48 as Chelsea Lyles scored seven of the points. NJC had an answer, though, as Forbes nailed a 3-pointer and didn’t let the Cougars back into the game.
WNCC had two players in double figures. Lyles led the way with 13 points, while Cheney chipped in 12.
NJC was led by Forbes 23 points, including a perfect 7 of 7 from the field. She also rattled home two treys. Guernsey-Sunrise graduates Conner and Garner also performed well. Garner finished with 11 points, including two treys, while Conner had seven points and 10 assists.
Both Cougar teams will return to action Saturday for sub-region contests against Northeast Community College in Norfolk before returning home next Wednesday to host Eastern Wyoming College.
NJC (18-3) 42 37 -- 79
NORTHEASTERN COLORADO
Jacqie Neill 12, Sarah Conner 7, Britney Creamer 2, Stacy Howard 6, Jennifer Garner 11, Kristen Forbes 23, Kristy Henderson 8, Jessica Priest 2, Taija Bennett 2, Silke Forstmann 6.
WESTERN NEBRASKA
Cheri Palmer 2, Dana Iverson 4, Emma Beddome 9, SeLina Ysac 7, Shaquilah Davis 9, Alison Cheney 12, Tawny Drexler 2, Chelsea Lyles 13, Carly Glisan 3.
WNCC (12-8) 44 40 -- 84
NJC (18-3) 52 54 -- 106
NORTHEASTERN COLORADO
Eric Miller 2, Lawrence Tyson 10, Jeron Lewis 16, Alex Garcia 18, AJ Wilson 12, Troy Smith 16, DeRay Wilson 8, Demario Partee 2, Mike Dominguez 18,, Kylor Dossett 4.
WESTERN NEBRASKA
Jamie Eisinger 4, Daniel Smith 22, Oscar Cartwright 8, Kelvin Franklin 21, Lloyd Hickinson 5, Drew Eisinger 4, Deividas Busma 17, Chris Hamblin 1, Greg Hinkle 2.
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