The win was the Cougars 23rd of the season, but more importantly keeps the Cougars unbeaten in the East Sub-region with one sub-region game left to go – Tuesday night at North Platte Community College.
WNCC men's coach Brian Joyce said it is hard to go undefeated in any sub-region.
"That is a hard thing to do and no other team in our region has done it so far. We have a chance on Tuesday to go undefeated. That is not an easy thing to do for sure," Joyce said. "North Platte is always tough to beat at home and they have had one of the best records all year of anybody in our region. I think it will be a good game, a competitive game, and I think our guys are excited to go on the road and play."
For much of the contest Saturday night, it looked as if McCook were going to spoil the Cougar's run of an undefeated sub-region. McCook completed dominated the last 15 minutes of the first half. WNCC held a 13-11 lead early on a Larry Brown 3-pointer. After that, Alonso Lewis drilled a trey to put McCook up 14-13.
The Indians pushed the lead to nine points with 3:50 to play in the half on a Ronnell Grant bucket and were up 46-37 with under 30 seconds to play before Brown made a bucket to send the Cougars into the locker room trailing 46-39.
McCook led by as much as 12 points in the second half and actually held a 6-point lead with seven minutes to play. WNCC finally woke up as Danny Smith sliced the lead to one point, 64-63 with just under six minutes to play. Scott Bamforth than gave the Cougars their first lead of the game with two free throws since early in the first half, 66-65.
The lead jockeyed back and forth as McCook held a 73-70 lead on a DeShawn Howard bucket. WNCC came roaring back as Brown hit a clutch field goal and the Bamforth scored his fifth 3-pointer of the game to put WNCC up 75-73 with a minute to play.
McCook tied the game at 75 on two Ronnell Grant free throws, but Chris Hamblin scored with 22 seconds to play and after McCook missed a shot, Brown was fouled with 4.9 seconds to play and hit the clinching free throws.
"McCook did a really good job coming in here and playing hard and taking it at us," Joyce said. "Last night's game took a little bit out of us so it took a little while for us to get going. I think our depth was a big factor tonight. We push our guys so hard in practice so that they are not so stressed out in a game and I think in pressure situations, our guys really concentrate and handle things how we work in practice. I thought our guys did a really good job when the pressure was on in making decisions."
WNCC had two players in double figures, led by Bamforth's 23 points. Francisco Cruz finished with 14 points while Brown had 13.
WNCC will next be in action Tuesday when they travel to North Platte, before finishing the regular season with a home contest against Northeastern Junior College on Saturday at 3 p.m.
McCook
WNCC (23-5) 39 40 – 79
MCCOOK
Javoun Martin 3, Trey Mosby 16, Alonzo Louis 11, DeShawn Howard 11, Ronnell Grant 16, Ray Robinson 10, Marcus Landry 2, John Hill 6.
WESTERN NEBRASKA
Lloyd Hickinson 2, Tarell Clark 7, Chris Hamblin 8, Scott Bamforth 23, Francisco Cruz 14, Sedrick McBounds 3, Larry Brown 13.
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