WNCC basketball recruits ready to compete in Saturday's Panhandle Prep all-star game at Cougar Palace

Hemingford’s Shelby Campbell, Scottsbluff’s Madison Keller and Mullen’s Taylor Puttergill never played together or against each other on a team in high school.

Saturday night, the three will change all that as the Panhandle Prep All-star basketball game will take center stage at Western Nebraska Community College. The girl’s game tips off at 5:30 p.m. with the boy’s game to follow.

The three all-stars will also be playing on the floor that they will call home next fall when they enroll at Western Nebraska Community College and become a part of the Cougar women’s basketball program. The three, however, are not teammates in the all-star classic. Campbell and Keller are members of the Gold team, while Puttergill is a member of the Blue team.

The all-star classic will be a chance for them to get ready for the college season and see a little bit about their upcoming teammates.

“I am very excited to be playing in this game and I think it will be an experiment, a lesson, and a good learning experience [for next year],” Campbell , who scored over 1,100 points for the Bobcats, said. “It is sad knowing this is it for my high school career, but I know I will be playing throughout college. It is just like when one chapter closes, one more opens. I will be sad, but I will carry on from it.”

Puttergill, a 5-10 wing player, is excited that she gets the chance to play in this all-star classic.

“I was really excited that they invited me to come,” Puttergill, who averaged 19.3 points and finished with 1,137 career points, said. “This is a good experience especially with the different classes here combined. It will be a good experience for all of us.”

Keller, unlike Campbell and Puttergill who haven’t played at Cougar Palace before, is ready

“I am ready to play in the game and it will be fun,” the Scottsbluff graduate said. “It is the last chance to play with the high school girls and some of my friends.”

The teams should be pretty balanced. The Gold team, what they lack in height, make up for with speed and tenacity on defense.

“We have pretty good talent,” Keller said. “We have some good shooters and we are pretty fast and we are athletic. We are little short, though.”

The other think Keller needs to worry about Is going against her former teammate DaNae Quijas, who is a member of the Blue squad.

“That is going to be the hardest part because we get after each other on the court,” she said. “But we will see what happens. I know her strengths and weaknesses. She also knows mine, so there are drawbacks.”

Campbell said height doesn’t matter in an all-star game, it is the heart and the drive that counts the most.

“We are short, but that is OK. We are up tempo. We have a couple of tall girls that know how to post up,” she said. “I have a wonderful group of girls to work with, and it seems like we will have an awesome team. I think it will be great and a fun time.”

Puttergill’s all-star team will definitely have the height advantage five girls 5-10 or taller, including Chadron’s 6-4 Kelsie Lliteras, who is headed to North Carolina State next year, and 6-1 Alyssa Norton, who will do volleyball and track at Chadron State.

“We definitely have quite a bit of height and they wouldn’t be here if they weren’t an all-star,” she said. “I think everybody has pretty good talent. We will all put it together and I think it will be a good game.”

Puttergill loves basketball so much that she is actually giving up her second love this weekend, rodeo.

“I am actually missing a rodeo for the Panhandle Prep all-star game,” she said. “I like rodeo, too, but basketball is my first love and I will choose it over Rodeo.”

After the game, the three will then have a couple months off before heading back to WNCC to begin their college careers for the Cougars. All three are excited for that chapter in their life. Keller said that she can’t wait to begin those college workouts.
“I won’t really have any time off,” she said, because I have to work out for the Cougar team.”

The other two are also excited to be playing for the Cougars.

“I chose WNCC because they have a really good basketball program and Coach [Dave] Harnish has a reputation that speaks for himself,” Puttergill said. “I am pumped up to play for WNCC and Harnish. I don’t have words for it. I am just pretty lucky.”

Campbell is also pumped to putting on the blue and gold of the Cougars for the next two years.

“It has always been my dream since I was a seventh-grader to play here [on Cougar Palace],” Campbell, the 5-4 four-year starter at Hemingford, said. “I never got to fulfill my dream in that in high school, so this all-star game is the first time playing on this court.”

For Campbell, her decision to come to WNCC was a pretty easy one.

“I actually decided to come to WNCC because it has a good basketball program and it is far enough to be close to home, if that makes any sense,” she said. “It is also a good place to start, a good foundation and the coaching is really good. All together it is a really good school.”

Campbell realizes that it won’t be easy, but she has the work ethic to succeed. Her long-term goal next year is to finish her career at WNCC the same way she finished her high school career, scoring over 1,000 career points.

“I would love to do that at the college level,” she said. “It is just doing it that will count. I just have to work double hard because the college level is a lot different and more up tempo. I am just very excited to become a Cougar and get a feel of the court this weekend. This is going to be my future home. I am going to give it my all [today] and just give an insight of what will be happening [for the next two years].”

WNCC hosts girl's, boy's basketball camps in June

Western Nebraska Community College will hold girl’s and boy’s basketball camps during the separate weeks in June at Cougar Palace.

WNCC women’s basketball coach Dave Harnish will kick off his camp June 15-18 for girls in grades first through eighth. The camp will run from 9 a.m. until noon. The cost is $50 per camper and includes a T-shirt.

Harnish said the camp is designed to give campers a competitive opportunity to develop the fundamental skills of basketball. The camp will teach the camper basics such as passing, shooting, dribbling and pivoting.

Harnish, along with assistant coach Jennifer Pedersen and former and current Cougar players will instruct the camp.

WNCC men’s basketball coach Brian Joyce’s basketball camp will be held June 22-25 at Cougar Palace. The cost is $70 with a T-shirt if a camper is pre-registered, and $75 at the door.

The camp is open for boys from kindergarten to 12^th grade. Boys from Kindergarten through 8^th grade will attend from 9-11:30 a.m., while the older campers will attend from 1-3:30 p.m. The format of the camp will be similar to what the Cougar players go through for player development and practices.

Joyce said the camp is designed to give campers a competitive opportunity to develop the fundamental skills of basketball. The camp will teach and focus on basic skills of basketball. The camp will involve different stations with individuals going through drills to mold and enhance their game.

The camp will be instructed by Joyce, his assistant Gianno Biaconi, and former and current Cougar players.

For more information on the camps, contact Joyce at 308-635-6780 or joyceb2@wnc.net, Harnish at 308-635-6027 or dharnish@wncc.net, or download camp registration forms from the WNCC athletic website at sports.wncc.edu.

WNCC hosts Cougar Golf Classic on June 6

The Western Nebraska Community College athletic department will be holding a Cougar Golf Classic Saturday, June 6 at the Monument Shadows Golf Course in Gering.

This year’s golf tournament will be a four-person scramble. Registration is $60 per person and includes green fees, cart and lunch. There will be a payout for first, second and third place. Each team will also receive a group picture with Scotts Bluff National monument in the background. The Golf Classic is open to the first 36 teams with an 8 a.m. shotgun start.

All proceeds benefit the Ron Brillhart Scholarship fund at WNCC.

To register for the Cougar Golf Classic, contact athletic director Jennifer Pedersen at 308-635-6798 or email at Pedersen@wncc.net. Registration forms can also be picked up at Monument Shadows Golf Course.

Balza, Cruz take top awards at WNCC athletic banquet

For more photos, go to http://wncccougars.albumpost.com/bluffs

Western Nebraska Community College’s Fatima Balza and Francisco Cruz picked up the top awards at the WNCC athletic banquet Sunday evening at Cougar Place.

Balza earned the female athlete of the year honor as well as the picking up the Most Valuable Player award for the volleyball team. Balza, a sophomore, will graduate May 16 and will head to Penn State University to play volleyball.

Cruz, a freshman, earned the male athlete of the year award. Cruz averaged nearly 16 points a game for the Cougar men’s basketball team last year, while leading the team in rebounds and 3-point percentage.

Athletic director Jennifer Pedersen said both athletes demonstrated character on and off the court. What Cruz does on and off the court should be something the young people can look up to.

“Every single young man comes through this program with hopes and dreams of where they want to end up in life. This is just a stepping stone of where they want to go,” she said. “So, I went out to the community and asked them what kids that have been here, been in your school, what kids have stayed late after a game and talked to parents, fans and signed autographs. What kid have come in and shot, or been at the field, longer. I wanted a student athlete that came here and hasn’t given us any trouble and is the epitome of what I want a student-athlete to become.”

Cruz was humbled by the honor.

“The award surprised be a lot because I didn’t expect it and I just felt great when I got it,” he said. “I really didn’t think I was going to get the award. I just want thank everybody for what they do for me and how they talk about me. I just want to thank everyone that supports me and the team.”

Cruz said the team does a lot of community work, something which he enjoys.

“We go and play with kids and eat with kids. We try to show everyone how much we appreciate everybody.”

As for Balza, she, too, was pleasantly shocked to receive both honors.

“it was a surprise for me,” she said. “Every effort I did for my team and every goal we reached together was not only for me, but for the team because I could not have made it without my team. It is for them that I get the MVP and if it wasn’t, I would have never got it.”

Balza enjoyed this season a lot more than her freshman year when they won the national championship

“I am really, really happy with everything I have done this year and everything we did. I am happy with my team, the coaches, and every single person that helped us,” she said. “I have to say that even last season when we won the national championship, that this year I am happier of the third place that we got this year because we were like a team and did everything together.

Volleyball coach Giovana Melo described Balza as an athlete that became like the mother of the team in helping them to a third place finish at the national tournament.

“I sat down with her once before we started and told her I was going to give her a role,” Melo said. “I said your role is to be a leader and get them to work hard, and do everything you possible can do to get this team prepared. I promise you that I will give you whatever it takes to make the team and you better. She is now going to one of the best volleyball programs in the country.”

All seven sports presented its MVP and Cougar Pride winners.

MVP winners included Balza in volleyball, Scott Bamforth in men’s basketball, Shaquilah Davis in women’s basketball, Josh Parker in baseball, Katie Groves in softball, Cesar Bazana in men’s soccer, and Terri Huntington in women’s soccer.

Cougar Pride winners included Gering’s Brooke BlomenKamp in volleyball, Chris Hamblin in men’s basketball, Tawny Drexler in women’s basketball, Brittany Chacon in softball, Elvis Garcia in baseball, Mark Zigray in men’s soccer, and Jaime Gastelle in women’s soccer.

Each of the coaches had good things to say about each Cougar Pride winner. Melo was very honored to give the honor to a Gering High graduate.

“Brooke has probably has 300 questions every single day. It is like question, question, question and I am not kidding,” Melo said. “She loves WNCC and loves wearing WNCC colors. She definitely is the pride of our team. She does not realize it, but she keeps this team together with her personality and the way she acts not just on the court but outside the court.”

Academic honors were also presented. The top grade point average for a female athlete belonged to Casey Simpson, of Nokomis, Saskatchewan, while the top GPA for a male athlete went to Ryan Dawson, of Front Royal, Venezuela. Dawson is a member of the men’s soccer team, while Simpson was a pitcher on the softball team.

The top team GPA academic awards went to the softball team for the fifth straight year.

The Cougar Award, an all-campus award which honors an athlete for his academics and community work, went to men’s basketball player Saul Torres, a freshman.

The Patron of the Year honors went to FBG Services and Carr-Trumbull Lumber.

Before the awards, Trisha Downing, the first female paraplegic to complete an Iron distance triathlon, talked about not giving up. Downing said that when she was competing in a half-marathon in Texas to qualify for the Ironman triathlon in Hawaii, she willed herself to finish the race. She finished in 8 hours, 29 minutes and the qualifying mark for the full triathlon was 8 hours, 30 minutes.

She said that there were many times, climbing up those steep hills in Texas, that she stopped and cried and said, “go get the car. I can’t do it.” She realized, from support from others helping her, that they didn’t want her to give up. That is why, or motto in every race is “it is not over until it is over.”

Since her car/bicycle accident in 2000, she had competed in 13 marathons and a variety of triathlons. She used a special hand bike to compete in the races and was named the Colorado Sportswomen of the year in 2007.

Complete List
Volleyball
Most Valuable Player – Fatima Balza, Merida, Venezuela
Cougar Pride – Brooke Blomenkamp, Gering, Neb.
Men’s Soccer
Most Valuable Player – Cesar Bazana, Americana, Brazil
Cougar Pride – Mark Zigray, Windsor, Colo.
Women’s Soccer
Most Valuable Player – Terri Huntington, Bluffdale, Utah
Cougar Pride – Jaime Gastelle, Ft. Collins, Colo.
Men’s Basketball
Most Valuable Player – Francisco Cruz, Nogales, Mexico (Abe Lincoln High in Denver)
Cougar Pride – Chris Hamblin, St. Paul., Minn.
Women’s Basketball
Most Valuable Player – Shaquilah Davis, Denver, Colo.
Cougar Pride – Tawny Drexler, Golden, Colo.
Baseball
Most Valuable Player – Josh Parker, Canberra, Australia
Cougar Pride – Elvis Garcia, Miami, Fla.
Softball
Most Valuable Player – Katie Groves, Bluffdale, Utah
Cougar Pride – Brittany Chacon, Broomfield, Colo.

WNCC baseball camp set for June 1-4

Western Nebraska Community College will hold a summer baseball camp June 1-4 at the 23 Club Diamonds in Scottsbluff.

The four-day camp will run from 9 a.m. to 12 noon and costs just $40 per camper before May 26 and $55 after the early registration.

The camp will be an excellent opportunity for youngsters to learn the game of baseball. The camp will include instruction on hitting, throwing, fielding and pitching, along with actual game play during the camp.

The camp will be instructed by WNCC baseball coach Mike Jones, his assistants and former/current coaches.

Registration forms can be downloaded at sports.wncc.net. For more information on the camp or to request a camp registration flyer, contact Jones at jonesm@wncc.net or (308) 635-6198.

WNCC baseball season comes to a close with two losses to NJC in regional playoffs

The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team knew they needed to play well against a red-hot Northeastern Junior College to get by the first round of the Region IX playoffs Sunday at Cleveland Field.

In the early going, WNCC hung with NJC only to see the Plainsmen come storming back to capture a doubleheader sweep. The Cougars fell in the opening game 12-6 after watching NJC score eight times in the eighth and ninth inning. NJC closed out the 2-out-of-3 series by dropping the Cougars 9-3 in the second game. NJC advances to play Trinidad State Junior College this weekend in Trinidad, Colo. Trinidad needed three games to dispose of Lamar Community College, winning the if-necessary game 10-4.

“NJC is playing really well,” WNCC coach Mike Jones said. “They are very aggressive at the plate right now. They are playing with a lot of confidence and I wish them the best of luck.”

WNCC, however, hung with the Plainsmen in both games holding a 6-4 lead through seven innings in game one.

“I thought we played a decent ball game in the first game. We pitched really well in the first game and we got a couple really big hits in the first inning and we were able to jump out to a lead early,” Jones said. “We went to the bull pen late in the game and let the game get away from us.

“We also had a chance in the second game, even though we gave up four in the first inning on just one hit. We came out in game two and made some key mistakes on defense and it wasn’t a lack of hustle or lack of focus; it was just one of those things where we ran into each other, through a ball of balance and gave them some runs early. I thought we fought back really well. We had a chance in about the sixth inning to get another run on the board. We just came up a little short.”

WNCC definitely was in striking range of claiming one, or even both games. In the opening game, the Cougars scored four times on four hits to take a 4-0 lead all with two outs. WNCC had four straight singles from Oscar Rodriguez, Shane Wade, Trace Marsden and Brady Sanchez to the early lead.

The Cougars watched NJC slice the lead to 4-3 after five innings. WNCC rebounded, scoring once in the sixth and seventh to lead 6-4. Rodriquez had a solo home run in the sixth inning, while Jared Baros doubled and scored on a Josh Parker single in the seventh.

The Cougars couldn’t hold the lead in the final two innings. NJC scored seven 8^th-inning runs on five hits to take an 11-6 lead. The Plainsmen added another run in the ninth as Scott Dalrymple homered to double up the Cougars.

Matt Klein picked up the win for NJC, throwing a complete game. Klein scattered eight hits, while striking out 15 Cougar batters. Rodil Martinez took the loss, throwing just a 1/3 of an inning in relief of Tim Kupfner. Kupfner threw a strong seven innings, scattering eight hits and striking out one, while throwing 79 pitches.

Rodriquez and Parker each finished the game with two hits. Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a home run, while Parker went 2-for-5 with a run scored, RBI and a double.

NJC jumped on WNCC quickly in game two, scoring four times in the first inning on two hits. The big blow was a double by Rhett Morgan. NJC went up 5-0 threw 4 ½ innings before WNCC made a comeback, slicing the lead to 5-3 in the bottom of half of the fourth.

Anthony Paniagua started things with a one-out single. Alex Arias, Wade and Marsden all followed with singles to cut the deficit to two runs.

In the meantime, starting pitcher Ben Doran settled down after the 4-run first inning, allowing just one run over the next five innings, while allowing just four hits and striking out four. NJC added two insurance runs in the seventh and ninth inning off of Cougar relievers, including a 2-run home run by Dalyrmple.

The Cougars also couldn’t find an answer to NJC pitchers Luke Oeltjenbruns and Trevor Lundgren. Oeltjenbruns threw seven masterful innings, striking out five and allowing nine hits. Then, Lundgren closed out the game, striking out three and allowing just two hits.

Doran suffered the loss on the mound.

WNCC managed 11 hits in the contest, but couldn’t string enough together to get rallies going. Parker finished 2-for-5 with two singles, while Wade went 3-for-4 with a runs scored, a RBI and three singles. Baros also had two hits, going 2-for-4 with two singles.

WNCC finishes the season at 25-29 and made the Region IX playoffs after falling short of the post season a year ago. Jones said they had a very young team on the field Sunday, which bodes well for next year.

“It was an extremely young ball club that was out there,” Jones said. “They got a lot of experience throughout the course of the season. Now they have a Region IX playoff day under their belt. We have a lot of room to grow and having all the experience will only help.”

First Game

NJC 011 010 171 – 12 15 2

WNCC 400 001 100 – 6 8 3

WP – Matt Klein, LP – Rodil Martinez; 2B – WNCC (Jared Baros), NJC (Jonathon Crews, Billy McHenry); HR – WNCC (Oscar Rodriguez), NJC (Scott Dalrymple).

Second Game

NJC 400 100 202 – 9 10 1

WNCC (25-29) 000 300 000 – 3 11 4

WP – Luke Oeljenbruns, LP – Ben Doran; 2B – NJC (Rhett Morgan); HR – NJC (Scott Dalrymple).

WNCC softball ends season at regionals

TRINIDAD, Colo – The Western Nebraska Community College softball team came up short of a repeat regional title falling in a heart-breaker to Trinidad State Junior College 7-6.

The Cougars, never-the-less, put on a good show after falling in their opener on Friday. The Cougars opened Saturday by dropping Dawson Community College 11-6. WNCC followed that with a 13-6 thumping of Lamar Community College as Stephanie Townsend had six RBIs and two home runs.

WNCC sophomore pitcher Kelsey Garner said it is a disheatening way to end the season, but they had a good season, finishing 42-17.

“I am really proud of our team,” Garner said. “We fought back the whole way, whether we were down, we just kept fighting back and didn’t let anyone stop us.”

“I think we had a pretty up and down season but we started to get more ups then downs in the end and that was nice. It just really sucks to end this way because I don’t think any of us expected it.”

WNCC did flex its offensive muscles Saturday, hitting five home runs. Against Dawson, though, they scored 11 runs on just eight hits – all singles.

Dawson struck first with a solo home run in the first inning. WNCC bounced back scoring three times in the second and six times in the fourth to take a 9-1 lead. In the fourth, the Cougars had five straight singles and then Megan Burditt had a 2-RBI hit that cleared the bases.

Katie Groves and Brittany Chacon each had two hits. Groves went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, while Chacon was 2-for-3 with three RBIs as well.

Casey Simpson picked up the win, allowing five runs on 10 hits and striking out two. Stephanie Townsend recorded the save allowng one run and striking out one.

In the contest against Lamar, WNCC took it to the Runnin’ Lopes early, scoring five times in the first inning. Groves opened things with a triple and then Megan Burditt reached on an error and Adena Hagen walked to load the bases. Townsend ripped a 2 run scoring single. Later, Alyssa Hickey scored two runs on a double and then Garner had a run-scoring double for the 5-0 lead.

WNCC added three more runs the second to go up 8-0. Groves led off with her 16^th home run of the season, which breaks the season record of home runs that was set by Kari Marsico in 2006. Hagen then had a 1-out double and then Townsend crushed a pitch over the fence to score two runs.

Townsend connected on another 2-run home run in the fourth when she drove a pitch over the rightfield fence for a 11-3 lead. WNCC added two more runs in the sixth as Kelly Pearson walked followed by a single by Gomes. Tonya Atencio and Chacon also had singles in the inning.

WNCC finished the game with 16 hits, including nine that were extra-base variety. Townsend went 3-for-4 with six RBIs, three runs scored and two home runs. Groves went 2-for-3 with a triple, home run, and two runs scored.

Also collecting multiple hits were Hagen (2-for-3 with three runs scored and a double), Gomez (2-for-2 with a double and run scored), and Chacon (3-for-4 with a run scored and a RBI).

Garner picked up the win, going six innings and allowing six runs on eight hits. Garner struck out four.

WNCC continued hitting in the last game against Trinidad, falling in a heartbreaker. WNCC took a 2-0 lead in the first as Burditt walked and then scored on a Townsend 2-run home run. Trinidad answered with a solo home in the first to cut the lead to 2-1.

WNCC added a single run in the second before Trinidad took a 4-3 lead in the third inning with three runs on four hits. The Cougars quickly retook the lead in the fourth inning. Chacon reached base after getting hit by a pitch. Then Groves hit her 17^th home run of the season, tying the career record set by Lauren Mills last season with a 2-run shot.

The Cougars added a single run in the fifth as Garner had a one-out single. Chacon was then hit by a pitch and then Groves was intentionally walked to load the bases. Burditt then scored a run after she was walked to put WNCC up 6-4.

Trinidad tied the game in the fifth with a 2-run home run and then won the game in the sixth with a single run on just one hit.

Groves finished the game 1-for-3 with two runs scord, a home run and two RBIs, while Townsend was 2-for-4 with a home runs and two RBIs.

Garner said it is tough too swollow right now, that their season has come to an end.

“It is really hard because we will never wear this jersey again,” she said. “We are not going to play with any of these people again and be coached by them again. It is hard to go away with a loss like that.”

First Game
Dawson 100 040 1 – 6 13 1
WNCC 030 611 x – 11 8 0
WP – Simpson, S – Townsend; 2B – WNCC (Sofia Gomez); HR – Dawson (Brittany Ceaser (2), Amanda Morris, jessica Stevens (2).

Second Game
Lamar 003 021 – 6 8 1
WNCC 531 202 – 13 16 0
WP – Garner; 2B – WNCC (Hagen 2, Hickey, Gomez, Pearson); Lamar (Maddie Maestas, Kayla Bruner, jessica Eddleman); 3B – WNCC (Groves); HR – WNCC (Groves, Townsend 2).

Third Game
WNCC 210 210 0 – 6 7 1
Trinidad 103 021 x – 7 9 1
LP – Simpson; 2B – Trinidad (Leah Hanson); HR – WNCC (Groves, Townsend), Trinidad (Tanisha Bradford, Nikole Morgan).

WNCC softball falls at Regional Tournament, will play Dawson Saturday at noon

TRINIDAD, Colo. – The Western Nebraska Community College softball team left 13 runners on base as Otero Junior College upended the defending Region IX champions 8-2 in the first round of the Region IX tournament in Trinidad, Colo., Friday.

The Cougars, who managed six hits in the contest, will need to battle their way through the loser’s bracket and win five straight games to capture the regional title. WNCC will now face Dawson Community College, a 4-2 victim to Trinidad State Junior College earlier in the day, Saturday at noon.

WNCC coach Maria Winn-Ratliff said this team can come back, but they will need to play better over the next two days.

“It won't be easy but we can do it,” she said. “Nobody would step up. They were all waiting on their teammates to.”

WNCC did, however, play well at the beginning and that part impressed Winn-Ratliff. She said they just couldn’t get the hit they needed.

“Good game thru five innings,” she said. “We just didn't have it today. We left 13 on and seven were in scoring position. They [Otero] played well and their pitcher did what she needed to keep them in the game.”

The Cougars were definitely their worst enemies, leaving the bases loaded in three innings. And, that was after a strong start.

WNCC’s Kelsey Garner started the game on fire, sitting down the first three Otero batters. The Cougars followed with a strong first inning offensively.

Katie Groves started things with a single followed by Lauryn Smith reaching base after getting plunked by a pitch. Groves and Smith scored on a Sofia Gomez single for the early 2-0 lead.

WNCC couldn’t hold the lead, allowing Otero score eight times over the next five inning. Otero’s Ally Goniea started the Rattler comeback with a solo home run in the second inning. The Rattlers took the lead in the fourth inning with two runs on three singles for a 3-2 lead.

Otero opened up the game in the sixth inning, plating five runs on two home runs. The big blow was a 3-run shot by Kristy Partridge, followed by a 2-run blast by Kristen Gertner.

WNCC had plenty of opportunities to plate runs throughout the contest. WNCC left the bases loaded in the fourth, sixth and seventh innings. In fact, the Cougars managed just six hits in the contest.

WNCC tried a comeback late. In the sixth, Stephanie Townsend and Kelsey Garner drew leadoff walks. Then, after two strike outs, Groves was walked to load the bases before a groundout ended the threat.

The Cougars tried a comeback in the seventh as well. Gomez and Kelly Pearson had back-to-back singles with one out. Alyssa Hickey was then walked before Jordann Hathorne fanned the final two Cougar batters. Hathorne struck out six Cougars on the day.

Garner picked up the loss, allowing eight runs on nine hits. Garner struck out five and walked four.

Groves and Gomez paced the Cougar hitting attack with two hits each. Groves was 2-for-4 with two singles, two walks, and a run scored, while Gomez was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a walk.

The Cougars could have three games Saturday as they battle their way back through the loser’s bracket. After the contest at noon, if they keep winning, they could play contests at 4 and 6 p.m. The championship game is slated for Sunday at noon, with an if-necessary game at 2 p.m.

The contests can be heard live on the Internet at http://sports.trinidadstate.edu/region9/.

Otero 010 205 0 – 8 9 0

WNCC (40-17) 200 000 0 – 2 6 1

WP – Jordann Hathorne, LP – Kelsey Garner; 2B – WNCC (Garner); HR – Otero (Kristen Gertner, Ally Goniea, Kristy Partridge).

WNCC's Smith inks with NCAA tournament team Morgan State

Western Nebraska Community College’s Daniel Smith has held that dream of playing for an NCAA tournament team in the back of his head since playing high school basketball at Woodlawn High In Baltimore.

Friday morning, Smith officially made his dream come true, signing a letter of intent with Morgan State University.

"One of the reasons I decided to go there was because I will be able to play in front of my friends and family and closer to home,” he said. “It will be a fun experience these next two years just getting to play in front of them.“

Morgan State, located in Smith’s hometown of Baltimore, finished last season 23-12 before falling in the first round of the NCAA tournament to Oklahoma 82-54. It was the Bears’ first-ever NCAA tournament appearance.

Smith is excited about the chance to play for an up-and-coming program.

“It is actually a blessing that I get to join their crew and just work towards going to another NCAA tournament,” he said. “It is special to participate in the NCAA tournament.”

Smith had a successful sophomore season for the Cougars, helping the team to a 25-7 record. Smith averaged 8.59 points a game, while dishing out 3.1 assists and collecting 1.8 steals a game.

Morgan State coach Todd Bozeman told Smith that he projects him playing the same role he did at WNCC.

WNCC coach Brian Joyce said Smith was one of those players that was unselfish on the court.

"Danny has learned a lot the last two years. He has matured as a person and as a player,” Joyce, who has sent over 50 players in his junior college coaching to the Division I level, said. “They are looking for guys that can come in and play right away and impact and lead the team right away at that position. I think Danny is very well prepared to do that. I think at that level, I think he can have a lot of success, and I know without a doubt he will influence the program in the right way, considering the growth I have seen over the last two years.”

Smith said that if it wasn’t for Joyce, he wouldn’t be playing for a team that qualified for the NCAA tournament in March.

“My goal was definitely to go Division One and my game has improved tremendously,” he said. “My shooting has improved tremendously and my ball handling and thinking on the court has improved. I have improved a lot of things and I give the thanks to Coach Joyce and the coaching staff along with the players that push me in practice.”

Joyce said that Smith had a lot of schools that were interested in her services for the next two years, but Morgan State was the best fit for him.

“To me, it is not necessarily about the level they go to, it is about whether they get the right fit in a place they are comfortable with and a place they will have an opportunity to be successful,” Joyce said. “If that is at the Division One or Division Two level, to me that is insignificant. I want them to be in places where they will be happy and comfortable because sometimes guys choose places that are too high for where they should be playing and choose things for the wrong reason.”

Smith, who will graduate on May 16 from WNCC, has learned a lot about not only basketball, but life, while attending this institution the last two years.

“I learned really good leadership skills and I really built it during my last two years here,” he said. “Those good leadership traits will help me down the line as a husband and a future father.”

Weather causes postponements with WNCC events

The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team will have to wait an extra day to begin their first-round Region IX playoff series with Northeastern Junior College. The two teams were supposed to play Friday and Saturday, but because of weather conditions, the series has been pushed back to Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday’s action will begin at 2 p.m. at Cleveland Field, while Sunday’s action will start at noon, with a if-necessary game to follow. The series is a best 2-out-3 format, with all games 9 innings. Admission to the regional playoffs is $3 for adults and $1 for students.

Also postponed one day is the WNCC Turf Challenge volleyball tournament that was scheduled to begin Saturday at Lacy Park. The tournament will now just be held on Sunday. WNCC volleyball coach Giovana Melo said that registrations for the doubles tournament are still being accepted for just $20 a person.

Melo also said that if individuals want to partner up with a Cougar volleyball player, bids are still being accepted. Only three players have received bids so far for an individual to have one of the players on their doubles team. To register for the tournament, contact Melo at 308-635-6028 or melog@wncc.net.