WNCC volleyball team will hold open tryouts Jan. 15

Western Nebraska Community College volleyball coach Giovana Melo has announced that there will be an open tryout for any volleyball players that would like to play for the 2010 NJCAA national champion Cougars.

                The try out will be held Saturday, Jan. 15, 2011, from 3-5 p.m. in Cougar Palace. Melo said the tryout is open to any high school graduating senior.

                Melo said that during the season, she doesn’t get a chance to see a lot of high school volleyball matches because of the Cougars’ schedule. So, this is a way to see all the talent out there.

                “I just want to give the local players an opportunity to get seen,” she said. “I know during season we are playing and many of them do not play club so we don’t get much time to watch them play and I think we have a lot of local talent. I just want to give them a chance to show their talent.”

                The WNCC women finished last season with a 43-4 record and captured their second national title in four years. Melo, in her three seasons as head coach of the Cougars, has guided the Cougars to three straight Final Four appearances. Melo, who played for WNCC in 2001 and 2002, has a career coaching record of 144-12.

                Melo’s players have gone on to play at four-year schools around the United States, including Fatima Balza at Penn State, Nayka Benitez at Creighton, Brooke Blomenkamp at Grand Canyon College, Whitney Roth at Texas A&M-Kingsville, Cami Weimer at Oklahoma Baptist, Paulina Piegza at St. Johns, and Kalei Kabalis at Washington State.

                For more information on the tryout, contact Melo at melog@wncc.net.

WNCC women go to 14-0 with win over Trinidad State

                 The Western Nebraska Community College women’s basketball team started slow, but cranked the offense up late in the first half and cruised to an 88-39 win over Trinidad State Junior College in the second day of the Lady Cougar Holiday Classic.

                The win lifted the No. 17 Cougars to 14-0 on the season as they enter the holiday break. The tournament will conclude tomorrow at 1 p.m. as Colby Community College will battle Trinidad State. Colby was a 92-36 winner over Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture.

                WNCC coach Dave Harnish said it is nice to be 14-0 at break.

                “The kids are excited about being 14-0, but I think with this group, you look beyond the record,” he said. “I told them tonight I think they worked hard this semester. They worked hard in the weight room and worked hard in practice. We certainly can do things better, but I think the effort has been there and that is all you can ask. So, it is nice to be 14-0. But, I think it was their effort and dedication  and putting the time in that has got them to where they are at. I hope they remember that next semester.”

                Friday’s game wasn’t close at the start. Harnish said the switch in defense finally got that separation from a hustling Trinidad State squad.

                “We started the game with a man-to-man defense and they hit some threes. We weren’t getting out on people and I thought Trinidad did a good job the first 10 minutes of the game, where we only had a two or four point lead,” he said. “We had to switch to a trapping zone to try to get us going a little bit more defensively. Switching the defenses opened the door, got us some turnovers and got our tempo up. I thought the second half we did a better job in that man-to-man. Defense.”

                Trinidad State held a 6-2 lead n the Cougars on a Ciera Jones bucket. But, the Cougars changed the tide, going on a 10-0 run behind six points by ChaCha Ofoegbu and four points from Carolina Alves for a 12-6 lead.

                Trinidad wouldn’t go away, staying pace with the No. 17 team in the nation. The Trojans sliced the lead to three points, 18-15, on a Kristen DiPaola 3-pointer, and trailed 22-18 with eight minutes left in the opening half.

                That was when the Cougars put the offense and defense into a different gear, outscoring Trinidad 20-4 the final eight minutes. Thais Pinto had eight of those points, while Shelby Campbell and Samantha Sanders each contributed four points for a 42-22 halftime lead.

                WNCC put the game away in the second half, scoring the first 19 points of the half for a 61-22 lead. Trinidad’s first bucket didn’t come until five minutes into the half on a Carolyn Lampkin bucket. WNCC cruised after that to its 14^th win of the season.

                “Switching the defense helped tonight and I also thought we made some shots tonight,” Harnish said. “That was the big difference between last night [Thursday] because we made some outside shots better tonight, whether from the three or just hitting some 15 footers. “

                WNCC shot 63 percent from the field while Trinidad was just 31 percent. The Cougars also out-rebounded the Trojans 47-21. Pinto had six boards to pace the team.

                WNCC had just two players in double figures. Pinto finished with 17 points on 8 of 10 shooting, while Ofoegbu had 11 points. Trinidad State was led by Lambkin with nine points.

                Harnish said he hopes the players come back ready with the same type of work ethic next semester. WNCC resumes action on Jan. 11 as they host Eastern Wyoming College in a men’s and women’s doubleheader. There will also be a softball team all-you-can-eat chili supper that night as well with tickets just $5 and available from any softball player.

                “The break is a little scary. Last year we were 13-2 and I thought we were playing well and we didn’t play well second semester,” he said. “I learned something of what we did last year and hopefully the sophomores understand that and come back better prepared and make a good second semester and make a good run at the regional tournament.”

NCTA                     14 22 – 36

Colby                    56 36 – 92

NCTA

Jenny Archer 6, Abby Sybrandt 2, Maddie Thurston 11, Nichole Hornyak 10, Jordyn Van Ryswyk 7.

COLBY

Elina Gutmane 16, Kelli Crittenden 9, Brooke Bursiek 12, Morgan Rickwartz 14, Hannah Thornton 16, Liga Vente 2, Crystal Kinderknecht 10, Christina Anderson 5, Tayler Puttergill 8.

TRINIDAD STATE

Shelby Louder 1, Tameka Manning 6, Kiley Dixon 2, Ciera Jones 4, Kristen DiPaola 8, Jasmine Michael 7, Sandra Morales 2, Carolyn Lampkin 9.

WNCC

Samantha Sanders 6, Ashley Soucie 4, Shelby Campbell 6, DaNae Quijas 3, Tiffany Moorer 8, Kyra Peterson 6, ChaCha Ofoegbu 11, Jasmine Shaffer 6, Darachia Johnson 6, Leona Garrett 8, Thais Pinto 17, Carolina Alves 4, Shelby Jones 3.

WNCC women register 13th win of the season in Lady Cougar Holiday Classic

                 The Western Nebraska Community College women’s basketball team put three players in double figures in rolling to their 13^th win of the season in topping Colby Community College 74-55 in the first day of the Lady Cougar Holiday Classic Thursday at Cougar Palace.

                Thais Pinto came off the bench to score 13 points on 6 of 10 shooting in the win. Also finishing with double digits for the No. 17 Lady Cougars were Samantha Sanders and Kyra Peterson with 11 points each.

                The Cougars will try to finish the first semester on Friday in the second day of the Holiday Classic as they will face Trinidad State Junior College at 7 p.m. Colby will take on Nebraska School of Technical Agriculture-Curtis at 5 p.m.

                WNCC coach Dave Harnish said his team played average.

                “We played decent and we weren’t very patient all night long,” he said. “We didn’t have patience offensively and make good decisions. We played in spurts again. We got up pretty good in the first half and had a good halftime lead. I thought we did a better job jumping up to a big lead early in the second half and then we let them cut the lead to 12 points. We didn’t play 40 minutes tonight.”

                What the Cougars did, however, flashed their depth all night. The Cougars out-scored the Trojans off the bench 34-24. Pinto and Peterson were the big guns for the Cougars coming off the bench. Peterson led the team with three 3-pointers on 4-of-6 shooting from the field.

                “We played a lot of kids tonight, which was nice. That shows that we have good balance,” Harnish said. “It was nice to see Kyra hit some shots because she has been struggling a little bit from the field. It was nice to see her hit some threes. Our defense was wasn’t great. Our offense was great. It was a tough week with finals, but we got through it and.”
                WNCC and Colby traded buckets early in the game until WNCC went on a 10-0 run to open up a 11-8 lead to 21-8 on a Leona Garrett bucket. The Cougars led 40-23 at halftime after Peterson hit a shot at the buzzer after getting an offensive rebound.

                WNCC kept excelling early in the second half, jumping out to a 46-28 lead on two Samantha Sanders free throws. Colby fought back, cutting the lead to 13 at 46-33 on a Christina Anderson 3-pointer and a bucket by Kelli Critterden.

                The Cougars quickly silenced the mini Trojan run as they ripped off nine straight points behind two buckets by Pinto, a bucket by Shelby Campbell and a trey by Peterson for a 55-33 lead. Peterson added two more threes in the last eight minutes to help the Cougars to their 13^th win of the season.

                WNCC out-shot Colby 52 percent to 41 percent. Colby and the Cougars each had 33 rebounds, as Pinto finished with five to lead WNCC.

                Colby had two players in double figures, led by Brooke Bursiek with 11 points and Mullen High graduate Tayler Puttergill with 10 points.

                Harnish said they need to play better tomorrow against Trinidad to finish the first semester on a strong note.

                “We have to play better tomorrow night because teams will always play hard against us,” he said. “We have to learn to be a little bit more disciplined. I thought Colby worked a little harder than us tonight.  I was a little disappointed in that aspect because we could have played better.”

Colby                    23 32 – 55

WNCC (13-0)      40 34 – 74

COLBY

Elina Gutmane 6, Kelli Crittenden 8, Brooke Bursiek 11, Morgan Rickwartz 3, Hannah Thornton 6, Brittany Schamberger 7, Crystal Kinderknecht 3, Christine Anderson 3, Tayler Puttergill 10.

WNCC

Samantha Sanders 11, Shelby Campbell 6, Tiffany Moorer 6, Kyra Peterson 11, ChaCha Ofoegbu 9, Leona Garrett 6, Thais Pinto 13, Carolina Alves 8, Shelby Jones 2.

Voice of the Cougars' shaves head to live up to promise to the volleyball team for winning nationals

 

                 Hometown Family Radio’s Matt Williams lived up to his promise Monday to the Western Nebraska Community College volleyball when the Voice of the Cougars shaved his head.

                Williams said it takes some getting used to having a bald head.

                “It was a lot of fun to have the team shave my head,” he said. “I told them when we were in Missouri that if they won the national title that they could shave my head when we get home. It was something fun for them to do as a team activity. So I kept my promise. Special thanks to Becky Zwickl at Aulicks TLC for having us and using the clippers.”

            Sophomore Kathryn Stock said it was an epic event to shave his head for the promise he made to the team for winning nationals.

            “It was great to remember once again that we had won nationals and that Radio had promised to shave his head if we won it all,” she said. “I was proud of us again and realized how great the support we have is. It was also fun to make little designs in his hair, too.”

            The one that worried Williams was that the girls would pull his hair with the clippers or miss and put a gash in his head. But, they didn’t.

            “There wasn't much of a pull on my hair,” he said. “That was my worry that it would tug on my hair but it didn't and was fine and the girls buzzed it all off.”

            Tania Torres, a sophomore middle hitter, didn’t think he would go through with it. But, when he did, she wasn’t hesitant to take hair off of Williams’ head.

            “It was so much fun,” she said. “I did not think he was actually going to do it, but he did and it showed us how important our accomplishment of a national championship was not only for us, but also for our fans and many followers.”

            With a chair set up in the Spa by TLC, the players, the Spa employees and some customers witnessed the head shaving. Scottsbluff graduate Mackenzie Westphal got the first whack at cutting off his hair with some clippers and wasn’t afraid one bit.

            “It was a fun way to all to be together again with the team and our supporters (Radio, Becky and the other girls at the Spa),” Westphal said. “It was a fun reminder that we won. Radio now looks really pretty. But really who knew he had such a great head under all that hair.”

            Gering graduate Sierra Schmidt was hesitant at first to do any clipping, but after working up some nerve, she shaved off a little bit of his curly hair. Sara Hirschfeld said it was fun to watch her teammates make designs on his head while doing the shaving.

            “It was fun,” she said. “It was funny to look at his hair after a few people had gone because his hair was spotty.”

            Emily Hoehn, a sophomore from Kearney, even thinks he should switch media to become a television announcer so everyone can see his “new look.”

            “I never shaved a head before and now I think I should go pro,” she said. “Radio looks so good that I think I he should switch to the television.”

            After the players got the hair off, then one of the Spa’s professionals finished it off with the fine tuning. The players said he looks different.

            “I think he looks even better than before,” Stock said. It’s a good think he works with radio or his girlfriend would probably have to deal with a lot more competition now.”

            Schmidt said that Radio and WNCC athletic trainer Doug Jones, who is also bald, can take pride in both having their heads shaven.

            “One word about his new look, awesome,” Schmidt said. “He can rock the bald guy look, just like Doug.”

            Williams said he is starting to like the look, even though his radio headset feels different on top of his head.

            “It’s a different look, but now, for sure, I need a little tan on the top of my head,” he said. “I might keep it like this for the future. Depending what mom thinks at Christmas.”

WNCC women take 12-0 record into this weekend's Lady Cougar Holiday Classic

                The Western Nebraska Community College women’s basketball team hasn’t enjoyed this type of early success in the past couple years by having an unblemished mark in December.

The Cougar women, who boast an eye-popping 12-0 mark, will look to finish the first semester unbeaten when they host the Lady Cougar Holiday Classic this weekend. WNCC will face Colby Community College on Thursday and then Trinidad State Junior College on Friday. The tournament runs through Saturday.

The big reason this team is sitting on top of the Region IX standings with that lofty record is because of their defense. The Cougars are the top defensive team in the region so far, giving up just 47.8 points a game. Otero is second allowing 48.6 points followed by Northeastern Junior College at 53.1 and Lamar Community College at 54.5.

“This team, for some reason, enjoys playing defense,” WNCC coach Dave Harnish said. “They enjoy that and they work together in helping each other out on defense. We actually control the game very well on the defensive end and we also rebound very well. There are a couple nights we haven’t, but we have always been steady defensively. That saved us in two or three games that we would have lost if we didn’t defend well.”
                The last time the Cougars were unbeaten after one semester was just a few years ago, in 2006-07 when they ran to an 18-0 start. The Cougars also had a huge winning streak in 2004-05 when the squad ran off 25 straight wins, resulting in the squad being ranked No. 1 during the regular season in February.

The Cougar women also went undefeated back in 1994-95 when they started the season 14-0. Another strong start to the season was in the 2005-06 season when the team ran off to a 13-0 start before being upended by Colby Community College 71-70 in this same Holiday Classic that they will host this year.

That is why Harnish is approaching this weekend’s games with caution, especially when the players have vision of finals and going home for Christmas in their heads.

“We can’t overlook anybody. These are two teams that we have beaten but with finals week and everything else going on, we just can’t overlook anyone,” he said. “I think this is always a tough week for us because it is Finals Week starting on Thursday and the kids know it is their last two games before they have three weeks off and they are looking to go back home.”

“It is trying to keep them focused and keep them in the mindset of where they need to be. This weekend is important to play well and keep on riding and doing the things that we have done to be successful to win games. As long as we do that, we will be fine this week playing at home. But, if we lose that edge, I think anybody can beat you.”

Harnish, however, said that he would have been more disappointed if this team wasn’t unbeaten at this stretch of the season since they really haven’t played a top 20 team.

“I thought last year we were challenged a little better early on by playing Seward and Midland. We lost those games, but played very good teams,” he said. “This year we haven’t played a top 20 team, but we have won the games that we were supposed to win.

Harnish said during this 12-game winning streak, they had some close games, some blow outs, but each win brought out character for his squad.

“We have had to learn to play in tight games this year. We have won a game by one point, we have won a game by four points, and we won this weekend by seven. So, we have been challenged and somehow we have fought through. We have been able to make the right shots and do the right things in the close games. From that standpoint we have gotten better and tougher. I think in those games we had good leads. We had 10 to 14 points leads and let them slip away, and then we found a way to win at the end. Somehow we found a way to be 12-0 and we are certainly excited about it. In a sense, if you look at the schedule, I would be disappointed if we weren’t 12-0. Is it where I expected us to be? Yes, I was hoping we could be 12 or 14-0 and be undefeated. I thought we could do it and it is nice that we are.”

Both Cougar games will start at 7 p.m. After this weekend’s series of games, the Cougars will be off until Jan. 11, 2011, when they host Eastern Wyoming College in a men’s, women’s doubleheader.

NOTES: Friday night’s contest will be Kids Club Pizza Night. All registered Kid’s Club members can show their Kid’s Club Pass for a free slice of pizza in the concession stand. Also, Santa Cougar, the twin of Cougar mascot Buddy the Cougar, will make a special trip to Scottsbluff so the kids can have their picture taken with Santa Cougar before and during halftime of the women’s game.

Women’s Region IX Standings

WNCC                                   12-0

NE Colorado                       8-0

Western Wyoming          10-2

Gillette College                9-2

Miles C.C.                            8-2

Otero J.C.                            8-2

Central Wyoming            7-2

McCook C.C.                       9-4

Northeast Nebraska       9-4

Eastern Wyoming            6-4

Sheridan                              7-5

Casper                                  5-4

Southeast Nebraska       7-6

North Platte                       4-4

Lamar C.C.                           5-6

Little Big Horn                   4-6

Northwest Wyoming     3-7

Dawson C.C.                       3-6

Trinidad State                   3-8

For updated standings, schedules, results and stats, visit the Region IX webpage at regionixathletics.com

WNCC men fall to Central Wyoming

               RIVERTON, Wyo. -- The Western Nebraska Community College men's basketball team received a 27-point, 10-rebound performance from Justin Omogun, but it wasn't enough as the Cougars fell to Central Wyoming College 76-67 Saturday at Riverton, Wyo.

               The loss was the Cougars fifth straight and it was also the last game of the semester for the Cougar men.

               The Cougars had trouble scoring in the first half, trailing the Rustlers 34-24 at intermission despite shooting 48 percent from the field. In the second half, the Cougar men hit on 44 percent of their shots, but it was free throw shooting that was the difference in the game. WNCC was 15 of 28 from the charity stripe, while the Rustlers were a tad better at 23 of 33.

               The Cougars had three players finish in double figures, led by Omogun with his 27 points. Omogun led all scorers in the contest as the post player made 12 of 15 from the field. Also notching double figure scoring for the Cougars was Justin Standley with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Aamir Kalliehan had 11 points.

               Central Wyoming pas paced by Everett Robinson with 24 points followed by Bojan Mihajlovic with 20 points.

               WNCC, 8-6, will return to action on Jan. 11 when they host Eastern Wyoming College. That night, the Cougar softball team will also hold an all-you-can-eat chili feed in the Cougar Den. Tickets for the chili feed are $5 and can be purchased from any Cougar softball player.

WNCC (8-6)                        24 43 -- 67

Central Wyo. (7-2)            34 42 -- 76

WESTERN NEBRASKA

Preston Eaton 2, Hauns Brereton 6, Aaron Turner 2, Justin Standley 13, Stephen Shephard 4, Aamir Kellieehan 11, Marko Kovacevic 2, Justin Omogun 27.

CENTRAL WYOMING

Jonathan Mesghna 6, Everett Robinson 24, Lionel Loris 6, Cameron Cusworth 8, Bojan Mihajlovic 20, Cody Emrick 6, Malcolm Colbert 3, Holden Jasper 3.

WNCC women remain unbeaten at 12-0 with win against Central Wyoming

               RIVERTON, Wyo. -- The Western Nebraska Community College had one of their best games of the year both offensively and defensively in stopping Central Wyoming College 73-51 Saturday at Riverton, Wyo.

               The win was the Cougars'  12th straight win and it was a 10-0 run to end the first half that sparked the Cougars to remain unbeaten on the season.

               "We got down early and the score was tied with about five minutes left in the first half, and then we went on a 10-0 run to finish the half," WNCC coach Dave Harnish said. "Going up 10 at halftime and playing on their home court was key for us. We then came out the first five minutes of the second half and got up by 16 or 18 points, which I thought was important. We then kept that 20 point lead the rest of the second half. This was a good win on their home court. They are a good team."

               What really impressed Harnish the most is how the team came back from a horrible shooting night on Friday in a win against Colorado Northwestern Community College when they shot around 33 percent and made just one shot outside the paint area.

               Against Central Wyoming, the team shot 50 percent from the field and had one 3-pointer.

               The other thing that impressed Harnish was his team's defensive mentality, where they built a double digit lead at halftime and kept the lead in double digits through the final 20 minutes.

               "We play great defense, but we have to get better offensively and shoot the ball better," he said. "Tonight, we did that tonight. There is no question we are excited to be 12-0 and we have two games at home to finish the semester and try to be 14-0. We certainly have to be pretty excited about that. We want to go back home and finish out the year undefeated."

               WNCC ran out to a 30-20 lead at intermission and kept excelling offensively and defensively by out-scoring a good Central Wyoming Rustlers team 43-31 in the second half.

               The Cougars had three players finish in double figures, led by Carolina Alves with 17 points. Samantha Sanders also popped in 15 points, while Thais Pinto finished with 10 points.

               The Cougars also out-rebounded the Rustlers 45-33. ChaCha Ofoegbu led the team with seven boards.

               Harnish said the players are excited to be 12-0 on the season.

               "It is encouraging and it was a good win," he said. "The kids are excited about it. it was a good win on somebody's home court. we played we."

               WNCC, 12-0, will be back in action this weekend when they host the Lady Cougar Holiday Classic Thursday through Saturday. WNCC will face Colby Community College on Thursday and then take on Trinidad State Junior College on Friday. Saturday's single game will have Trinidad facing Colby.

WNCC (12-0)                     30 43 -- 73

Central Wyo.                     20 31 -- 51

WESTERN NEBRASKA

Samantha Sanders 15, Shelby Campbell 8, Tiffany Moorer 4, ChaCha Ofoegbu 7, Carolina Alves 17, Brittany Macey 2, Darachia Johnson 3, Leona Garrett 7, Thais Pinto 10.

WNCC tops CNCC for 11th win of the season

               RIVERTON, Wyo. -- The Western Nebraska Community College women's basketball team won its 11th straight contest, but it wasn't pretty in registering a 52-45 win over Colorado Northwestern Community College Friday evening in Riverton, Wyo.

               WNCC coach Dave Harnish said that his team held a 22-21 lead at halftime and came away with the win despite shooting under 35 percent for the game (20 of 56). The Cougars also shot pathetic from the free throw line, making just 12 of 32 shots.

               "It was a disappointing offensive night for us," Harnish said. "I don't think we had any offensive rhythm all night. We didn't make a shot from outside eight feet. We struggled to score."

               Harnish said the one good thing he saw was his team out-rebounded CNCC 48-38. Hemingford's Shelby Campbell, the smallest player on the team at 5-foot-3, led the team with seven rebounds.

               The Cougars had two players in double figures in the contest, led by ChaCha Ofoegbu with 15 points, including going 3 of 5 from the field. Ofoegbu was just 8 of 15 from the free throw line.

               Thais Pinto, playing in her first game in four weeks, also chipped in 12 points. Pinto has been out with a leg injury.

               Carolina Alves also had nine points, while Tiffany Moorer had six points.

               WNCC, 11-0, will be back in action Saturday when they face Central Wyoming College at 5:30 p.m. in Riverton.

CNCC                    21 24 -- 45

WNCC (11-0)      22 30 -- 52

WNCC
Samantha Sanders 2, Shelby Campbell 3, Tiffany Moorer 6, ChaCha Ofoegbu 14, Carolina Alves 9, Kyra Peterson 2, Darachia Johnson 2, Thais Pinto 12, Shelby Jones 2.

Govenor Heineman proclaims Dec. 3,, 2010, Cougar Volleyball Day

 

                 The Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team now has a day they can call their own after Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman recognized the Cougar volleyball team for winning their second national title in four years at a Friday morning presentation at the Gering Civic Center.

Gov. Heineman officially proclaimed Friday as Cougar Volleyball Day. He said that the accomplishments of the Cougar volleyball team is something the state can be proud of.

                “What you are seeing now is some of the finest athletes that we have in this fine state and they are right here in your community. You should be enormously proud of them,” the Governor said. “I have a special proclamation I want to read, but I want to say that the level of women’s volleyball in this state is absolutely incredible. You look at what this team has done, what Wayne State is doing, what the University of Nebraska Kearney is doing, and the University of Nebraska at Lincoln is doing, and it is absolutely incredible. They are leading by example.”

                Gov. Heineman said that this day, Dec. 3, 2010, is now officially Cougar Volleyball Day. The Governor read from the proclamation, saying, “The State of Nebraska takes great pride in the academic and athletic endeavors of Western Nebraska Community College; and whereas, The citizens of Nebraska enjoy the high quality sportsmanship and competition of collegiate volleyball; and whereas, The Western Nebraska Community College Cougars have competed for conference, regional and national championships and played NJCAA volleyball at the highest level; and whereas, These young women are an inspiration to young people across our great state; and whereas, The Cougars’ volleyball team represents the ideals of NJCAA athletics by balancing high academic success with superior athletic dedication; and whereas, The Cougars dominated the 2010 volleyball season from start to finish, winning their second NJCAA National Championship match in four years. Now, therefore, I, Dave Heineman, Governor of the State of Nebraska, do hereby proclaim December 3, 2010, as Cougar Volleyball Day in Nebraska, and I do hereby urge all citizens to take due note of the observance.”

WNCC coach Giovana Melo and the players were appreciative of the honor.

“We are very proud of this day,” the third year Cougar coach said. “They have succeeded in the classroom and on the court and they have done a tremendous job this year. We started the year back in August with difficulties because we had kids from Hawaii, Louisiana, Colorado, Brazil, and Nebraska. They are from everywhere. They are a very diverse team and I think we put them together as a team and came out in the end, playing as hard and well as we could, so we could bring back to Nebraska a national championship.”

For the players, they took pride in being recognized as well as being honored by the Governor.

“This was pretty cool because, for one, I have never met the Governor before,” Gering graduate Sierra Schmidt said. “And, two, it is cool that they are dedicating a day for us because of our success and what we bring to the community.”

Mackenzie Westphal, a Scottsbluff graduate, said the national championship is a gift back to the community for their support of Cougar athletics.

“It [having a day named after us] was like the cherry on the top of a really big accomplishment. A lot of the people in the community look up to us and they count on us,” Westphal said. “We watched a video before one of our matches at nationals, and it was a bunch of people around the community telling us to bring home a national title. I think when we went out there at nationals, we played not only for us, but for everyone in the community, our coaches, and our families. It was nice to show them we really did bring it home for them and for us.”

WNCC captured its second National title in four years after dropping San Jacinto College in five sets at the national tournament back on Nov. 20. Since then, it has been a whirlwind of exposure for the team, and they still have to pinch themselves off and on to make sure it wasn’t just a dream.

“Winning nationals is awesome. There is no feeling you can use to describe it,” Schmidt said. “I still don’t believe that we won just because it feels like a dream. I never thought this would happen and it did. It will be there for a while; probably the rest of my life.”

Westphal said winning the national title still feels surreal to them.

“We think about it and we actually say ‘we actually won nationals and we are the best junior college Division I school in the United States’,” she said. “This is awesome. It is such a big accomplishment that we have been working for. Every day we went into practice, ran six touches, ran stairs, and it all paid off in the end. We finally did what we wanted to do for five months.”

Westphal also said the Governor invited the team to have lunch with him in the coming months in Lincoln, which is something he did for the University of Nebraska when they won the national title.

Westphal said that meeting the Governor and having a day for them is a nice way to finish off 2010.

“When we heard the proclamation, we all started smiling,” she said. “It was fun to know that we did it and it is about us. We worked really hard all year and it paid off, and we get something special this year, like a day just for us.”

Former Cougar Benitez ready to lead Creighton into first-ever NCAA volleyball tournament

Nayka Benitez goes for a dig in a match this season.

                Former Western Nebraska Community College volleyball player Nayka Benitez knows all about playing at the national tournament.

                At WNCC, Benitez helped the Cougars to a NJCAA national championship in 2007. Now, she has helped lead the Creighton Bluejays to their first NCAA volleyball tournament bid. Creighton opens tournament action Friday against Iowa State in Minneapolis, Minn.

“I feel like I am part of something really special,” Benitez, the senior libero, said. “Our school has never made it into the tourney before. It was a great feeling seeing the school’s name appear in the bracket.”

The Bluejays road to the national tournament won’t be an easy one. Creighton earned an at-large bid into the tournament when they finished runner-up to Northern Iowa in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament.  Creighton (20-11) faces an Iowa State team that is 20-8 on the season. The two squads will battle at 3:30 p.m. (MST) with the winner facing the winner between Minnesota and North Dakota State.

Benitez said that they just need to play their game.

“We honestly do not know much about Iowa State. We know that they are a really good team and that they are in a really good conference,” she said. “So, we will need to play hard and stay focused the whole game to compete with a team like Iowa State.”

Benitez definitely knows what it takes to win at the national level. At WNCC, Benitez helped the Cougars to a national title in 2007 as a freshman, and then a third place finish her sophomore season. She said helping both teams to two firsts – Creighton’s first trip to the NCAAs and WNCC’s first national title – has been something special to the 5-foot-3 defensive sparkplug.

“I am proud to be a part of both of these programs,” she said. “WNCC was a great program when I arrived and it was fun to keep that going and win the national championship for the first time in WNCC history. It is also fun get that started here at Creighton and seeing the progress we made. I’m proud to say I have been a Cougar and a Bluejay.

Benitez’ senior season has been filled with plenty of highs and lows. Benitez finished with 28 digs in the MVC conference final and became only the ninth player in CU history to reach 1,000 digs for her career. She enters the first-round national tournament contest with exactly 1,000 digs.

But, Benitez had to work hard this season at her position. She said that she lost her starting libero position for a spell but worked hard to get it back. That, she said, has made her a better player.

“It was a tough season personally,” she said. “I lost my libero position for a couple weeks and even though it was tough for me, it has made me such a better player. As a team, I feel like we had a really successful season. Although we lost games, we had some great wins.”

Benitez’ big honor came during the MVC tournament where she was named to the all-tournament team.

“I was surprised to be named to the all-tournament team,” she said. “It felt good to hear my name but I really wasn’t playing for myself in the conference tourney. It hurt when we lost at the final against UNI but I am proud of my teammates; they competed well. It’s always fun when we all play well and help each other. Thanks to them, I was named all-tournament team.”

Benitez was also named to the NJCAA all-tournament team as a freshman at WNCC when she helped the Cougars to the national tournament. She also finished her junior college career with 1,110 digs and a school record 250 career aces. In her four-year volleyball career, Benitez has over 2,000 digs.

“I worked very hard for that digging honor,” she said. “I’m satisfied with that even though I did not play libero for 15 games this season.”

But, her season isn’t completed just yet and Benitez is hoping to lead the team as deep into the national tournament as possible.

“I think we are a very good team and if we work hard and play with passion, we can win some games at the national tourney,” she said. “I trust my teammates and I know they will give their best at the tournament.”

Benitez said they are entering the tournament as underdogs and that is the way they want to enter the tournament.

“I really don’t know what people think about us,” she said. “I think we are a very good team and we have the capacity to play against really good teams.”

WNCC Goncalves, Araujo named NJCAA All-American

                 The Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team, fresh off its NJCAA national championship, landed two players on the National Junior College Athletic Association all-American teams that were released this morning.

                Fernanda Goncalves, a 5-foot-9 freshman setter who was named the national tournament Most Valuable Player, earned first team honors, while Debora Araujo, a freshman outside hitter, earned second team honors.

                All-in-all, five Region IX players made either the first or second all-American honors.

                WNCC coach Giovana Melo said the honors speak well for the accomplishment of the entire team.

                “It is a great honor to be an All American in this program,” she said. “They are both great player and deserve the honor. But, they would not be anything without their teammates.”

                Both players excelled on the court this season. Goncalves was Region IX’s leading setter, averaging nearly 11 set assists a game. She was also named Region IX’s Setter of the Year as well as Freshman of the Year. Goncalves had an outstanding national championship match, finishing with 15 digs, 47 set assists and blocks in a five-set win against San Jacinto College.

                Araujo was among Region IX leaders in kills, digs and aces per game. Araujo earned all-regional honors as well as being named to the national tournament all-Tournament team, including finishing with 21 kills, 15 digs, four aces and nine points in the San Jacinto match at the national tournament.

                “They both had a very difficult but amazing year,” Melo said of the team freshmen from Brazil. “They came in and did not know any English, could not communicate on the court in the beginning of the season. But, as soon as they got a little bit more comfortable with the language, the culture, and the volleyball system we play in, they played at a very high level.”

                WNCC capped off a magical season by finishing 43-4 and capturing their second national title in four seasons. WNCC topped Wallace State-Hanceville and Blinn College in straight sets to open the tournament before dropping Salt Lake Community College in four sets and then coming back with a strong fifth set in winning 15-10 over San Jacinto for the title.

                Four Region IX players earned first-team All-American honors. Besides Goncalves, Northeastern Junior College’s Karen Rivatto, Western Wyoming Community College’s Olivera Medic, and Laramie County Community College’s Marai Voitenko received the NJCAA top honors.

                Melo said having four on the first team shows the competitiveness of volleyball in Region IX.

                “It says the Region IX is getting better and better and being well represented in the nation,” she said. “We have many amazing athletes at the junior college level so to be an all American is an honor.”

                The first team is loaded with players that competed at the national tournament. Other first team selections included Alyssa Dibbern and Candace Soares of San Jacinto; Marci King of Eastern Arizona College; Milicia Krstojevic of Florida State College of Jacksonville; Mariana Lisboa of Iowa Western; Nikki McNorton of Blinn College; Manifranchi Rodriguez of Miam Dade College; and Tina Strahinic of North Idaho College.

                NJCAA second team includes Araujo from WNCC; Barbara Alcantara of College of Southern Idaho; Yennifer Calcano of Miami Dade; Erika Charry of Salt Lake Community College; Courtnee Davis and Josiane Santa Santos of Panola; Beta Dumanoic of Jefferson College; Jaclyn Gerig of Blinn; Victoria Jablonka of Frank Phillips; Kelsey Ann Marek of Temple College; Haley Schackelford of Yavapai College; and Ni Xu of Iowa Western.

                Honorable mention honors went to Taulise Dunklin of Wallace State-Hanceville; Emma Filiaga of Dodge City; Mimi Hajdukovic of Miami Dade; Julia Havili of Missouri State-West Plains; Aurora Newgard of State College of Florida; and Maryna Samday of Seminole State College.

               

WNCC men fall short against No. 25 Sheridan College

                The Western Nebraska Community College men’s basketball team gave the No. 25-ranked Sheridan Generals all they wanted Tuesday night at Cougar Palace.

                In the end, though, the Generals late charge was enough to stop the Cougars’ upset bid, claiming an 86-84 victory. The loss was the Cougars third straight, and fourth straight at home.

                WNCC coach Russ Beck said his team made a strong comeback and just came up on the short end.

                “We started out better in the game and that was our main focus in the first five minutes of the game, so it was neck to neck. We let them get a little bit of a separation their in the middle part of the first half. But, we did battle back. It seemed that we got a little tired. They beat us on a few hustle plays to end the half, which was very frustrating. I thought we came out in the second half and had good fire, good energy, and we were attacking the hoop. We just came up a little bit short.”

                The Cougars trailed 49-43 at halftime as the Generals scored four points late points to take the 6-point lead.

                WNCC came out in the second half with a different mentality and, behind the play of guard Aamir Kelliehan, the Cougars took their first lead of the contest at 57-56 with 14:57 left in the game. Kelliehan scored seven straight points to help WNCC grab a 60-56 lead, including a driving dunk.

                WNCC kept excelling on all cylinders as they held a 66-61 lead on a Justin Omogun dunk and then was up 68-63 on a Raul Delgado bucket. Sheridan made a drastic charge, scoring the next six points to regain the lead at 69-68 on a Rolands Narkis 3-pointer.

                The lead changed hands a couple times until Sheridan’s Lamong Prosser, the 6-foot-7, 240 pound freshman took matters in his own hands, scoring six straight points for an 84-78 lead. Prosser finished the contest with 17 points to lead the Generals.

                WNCC battled back as Kelliehan made two free throws followed by a bucket by Kovacevic. Kelliehan sliced the Sheridan lead to one, 85-84 with 39 seconds to play. The Generals ran the clock down before Kendrick Morse made 1 of 2 free throws with 12.2 seconds to play. WNCC had a chance to tie the game, but missed the front end of a one-and-one with five seconds to play to end the dramatic comeback attempt.

                “It never comes down to a free throw at the end of the game because we had other opportunities to win the game,” Beck said. “We had 19 turnovers in the game. We are a young team, but we have to cut that down.”

                WNCC had plenty of bright spots in the contest, including out rebounding the Generals 26-25 and shot a blistering 89 percent from the free throw line compared to 61 percent for Sheridan. The Cougars also shot 63 percent from the field, but were just 1 of 8 from beyond the arc. Sheridan, on the other hand, was 6 of 19 from the long-range arc.

                Beck said they couldn’t find an answer for Prosser, who played the last five minutes with four personal fouls.

                “We played a little bit better and defensively we made some adjustments,” he said. “No. 44 [Prosser] is a load for Sheridan. He is a good. We had a hard time getting stops when he touched the ball down the stretch.”

                WNCC had five players finish with double figures. Omogun led all scorers with 21 points followed by Kelliehan with 17, Hauns Brereton with 12, Justin Standley with 11, and Kovacevic with 10.

                WNCC will finish out the first semester this weekend when they compete in the Central Wyoming Classic where they will face Salt Lake Community College and Central Wyoming College.

                “When I looked at the schedule, I knew that starting with the CSi game through the Salt Lake and Central Wyoming game that it was going to be a killer road. But it is like we are on the bench press; we are throwing a lot of weight on there right now and trying to get stronger.”

Sheridan (8-0)                   49 37 – 86

WNCC (8-4)                        43 41 – 84

SHERIDAN

Khion Sankey 16, Omar McDade 12, Kendrick Morse 5, Max Glover 10, Jermaine Lippert 6, Rolands Narkis 8, Jarrell Crayton 12, Lamont Prosser 17.

WESTERN NEBRASKA

Mike Peltz, 7, Preston Eaton 2, Justin Standley 11, Hauns Brereton 12, Raul Delgado 4, Aamir Kelliehan 17, Marko Kovacevic 10, Justin Standley 21.

WNCC men fall to Williston State in first day of Thanksgiving Classic

Williston State College didn’t have any ill effects from a 10-hour bus trip Thursday. In fact, the Tetons blistered the net for 52 percent and lead from start to finish in handing the Western Nebraska Community College men’s basketball team their second straight home defeat 94-79 Thursday night in the first day of the Thanksgiving Classic at Cougar Palace.
                The Tetons wasted little time in taking control, zipping out to an 8-0 lead to start the game on 3-pointers by Blake Nash and Derik Hawkey. WNCC coach Russ beck said that quick start by the Tetons set the tone for the rest of the game.
                “We lost this game in the first 10 minutes of the game,” Beck said. “Hauns was 0-for-6 in the first half, and a lot of the shots we were taking were not going from the inside out. We probably touched the post just two times in the first half. When we were able to make our run [in the second half] we were able to throw the ball into the post and work inside out and we were pretty effective when we did that. Unfortunately we had some calls that got our big people that we could throw it in to into foul trouble and had to bring them back out of the game. That is when their lead started to grow again. It hurt us when Marko and Justin had to come out of the game. We need to be a little bit more disciplined and not put ourselves in position to get in foul trouble.”
                Beck gives Williston a lot of credit in getting the win.
                “Give them credit, they came in and played hard. They drove 10 hours today and got off the bus and came in and kicked our tail.”
                The Cougars, after that initial 8-0 run by Williston State, did come back slicing the lead to two points on several occasions in the opening half. WNCC trailed just 20-16 after a technical foul shot. The Tetons, however, bounced back going on a 10-0 run to up the score to 30-16 and pushed the lead to 41-28 at intermission.
                The Cougars started their comeback in the first minutes of the second half. WNCC went on an 8-0 run behind five points by Justin Omogun and a 3-pointer by Joe Stock. The Cougars gut the deficit to a single point, 49-48 on a Hauns Brereton 3-pointer and later two free throws.
                The inside play of Omogun and Marko Kovacevic kept dominating as Omogun had another bucket and then Kovacevic slammed home a dunk to cut the lead to 54-52. After a 3-pointer by Nash, the Tetons started widen the lead once again, going on a 12-1 run to take a 69-53 lead.
                WNCC kept fighting, even in foul trouble, slicing the lead to 80-69 on a 8-2 run. Williston State kept the Cougars at bay as they connected on 8 of 10 free throws down the stretch to hand the Cougars their second defeat of the season.
                Beck said his team didn’t have that same killer instinct they had over the weekend or even the Central Wyoming loss on Nov. 16.
                “I didn’t feel this was a game similar to the Central Wyoming game because we didn’t play all that physical,” he said. “We didn’t get on the floor for a loose ball until 15 minutes into the game and we didn’t do a good job boxing out.”
                Williston State had four players in double figures, led by Nash with 32 points, including four 3-pointers. The Tetons also out-rebounded the Cougars 47-28, as well as converting 28 of 43 free throws to WNCC’s 14 of 26 free throw shooting.
                Beck said Williston State is a good ball club.
                “They have a good coach. They have good players. They have a good point guard,” he said. “They have all the pieces, but I guess we are trying to discover which team we are, the team that beat CSI or the team that doesn’t play with a whole lot of energy.”
                WNCC had four players finish in double figures, paced by Justin Standley with 17 points. Also hitting the double-digit column was Brereton with 14 points, Omogun with 12 points (all in the second half), and Stock with 10.
                WNCC will look to rebound Saturday when they face a 9-1 Indian Hills team that got by Eastern Wyoming College 68-62 in the early game.
                “That will be a big game and we will see if we can bounce back and get after it a little bit,” Beck said. “Indian Hills has a great coach, great ball club, great program, and we have our work cut out for us.”
                The Thanksgiving Classic continues Friday with three games. The Eastern Wyoming women will face Oglala Lakota College at 3 p.m. followed by the Indian Hills and Williston State men at 5 p.m. The WNCC Lady Cougars will finish off the day at 7 p.m. by taking on Williston State. Action on Saturday begins at 1 p.m. with four games. Saturday’s festivities include the a bounce house for the youngsters during the 5 and 7 p.m. games.

Williston State                  41 53 – 94
WNCC (8-2)                        28 51 – 79
WILLISTON STATE
Perry Thaddeus 11, Derik Hawkey 4, Marc Price 1, Nick Markovich 13, Blake Nash 32, Derek Detrick 15, Terrance Motley 8, Pierre Nakada 5, Moriba Defreitas 6.
WNCC
Hauns Brereton 14, Raul Delgado 3, Aamir Kelliehan 4, Marko Kovacevic 4, Brady Mason 1, Justin Omogun 12, Mike Peltz 6, Justin Standley 17, Joe Stock 10, Aaron Turner 8.

WNCC women remain unbeaten with win over Williston State

                The Western Nebraska Community College women’s basketball team remained perfect on the season with a complete game performance against Williston State College, topping the Tetons with an 88-46 win in the Thanksgiving Classic Friday at Cougar Palace.

                The Cougars, in capturing their 9^th victory of the season, blistered the nets for 50 percent shooting and all 13 players that suited up scored. It was a win that pleased WNCC coach Dave Harnish.

                “I liked the energy. It is Thanksgiving weekend and a couple years ago, they came down and beat us,” WNCC coach Dave Harnish said. “It was good that we had better energy this week. I even thought we had a good week of practice and got better. That really showed tonight. We came out and through it all together and that is what we did tonight. We were a little sloppy with some reaching and grabbing, but I thought we hit some shots better tonight and I thought the defense was solid throughout the night. I also thought the bench came in and did a better of job of building the lead, keeping us where we need to be.”

                The Cougars and Tetons started the game exchanging buckets. Williston held an early 4-3 lead, but a bucket by Carolina Alves and an old-fashioned 3-point play by ChaCha Ofoegbu put WNCC up 8-4. The Cougars held a slim 14-10 lead before opening up the contest with an 11-0 run that was highlighted by a Samantha Sanders trey.

                WNCC continued excelling on all cylinders in the first half as the Cougars went on another 9-0 run behind a trey by Kyra Peterson and driving bucket by Sanders for a 42-14 on their way to a 46-19 halftime lead.

                The Cougars didn’t miss a beat in the second half, opening the second 20 minutes on a 10-0 run behind five points from Peterson for a 56-19 lead. Williston finally netted its first points on a free throw at the 16:15 minute mark by Dani Sadowsky. The Tetons’ Rachel Mehus added another four points to bring Williston back to 56-24, but back-to-back buckets by Leona Garrett on two separate occasions helped the Cougars to a 72-33 lead and they never looked back.

                WNCC had four players player hit the double figure column, led by Garrett and Alves with 14 points each, followed by Peterson with 12 points, including three 3-pointers, and Sanders with 10. Alves also pulled down 10 rebounds for a double-double.

                Williston State was led by Kyli Locken with 15 points and Rachel Mehus with 12.

                The 19^th ranked Cougars, 9-0, will look to stay unbeaten in the final women’s game of the Thanksgiving Classic Saturday at 5 p.m. against Oglala Lakota College, who fell to Eastern Wyoming College 86-82 in overtime. The other women’s game pits EWC against Williston at 1 p.m.

                Harnish said it is still early for this team, but he is seeing progress.

                “We are still a young team with freshmen and it is still a learning experience,” he said. “We have to learn to play every night and every day. I think this team has done that. For nine games know, I thought we have competed well. We played well today and I wouldn’t expect anything less tomorrow [Saturday]. This team has done a good job of competing, playing defense and rebounding. I think we will continue to do that.”

                In the lone men’s contest on Friday, Williston State came back to stop Indian Hills 63-62 as Blake Nash drained a bucket with 12 seconds to play to give the Tetons the one-point lead. A late missed free throw by Indian Hills sealed the win for Williston.

                Both teams will return to action today. Williston State will take on Eastern Wyoming at 3 p.m. while Indian Hills will face the WNCC men at 7 p.m.

Women’s Game

Williston                             19 27 – 46

WNCC (9-0)                        46 42 – 88

WILLISTON

Domenique Whitmore 2, Rachel Mehus 12, Sam Heier 10, Toni Johnson 3, Kinsi Olson 1, Kyli Locken 15, Shari Hewson 2, Dani Sadowsky 1.

WNCC

Samantha Sanders 10, Ashley Soucie 3, Shelby Campbell 4, DaNae Quijas 4, Brittany Macey 4, Tiffany Moorer 5, Kyra Peterson 12, ChaCha Ofoegbu 7, Jasmine Shaffer 3, Darachia Johnson 4, Leona Garrett 14, Carolina Alves 14, Shelby Jones 4.

Men’s Game

Indian Hills   30 - 32 -- 62
Williston        35 28 -- 63
WILLISTON State
Riley Stuve 3, Dijon Farr 14, Trey Starks 2, Gary Ricks 3, Jereome Jones 16, Latroy Taylor 1, Chad Dillard 10, Stephen Coles 13.
INDIAN HILLS
Thaddeus Perry 4, Derik Hawkey 2, Marc Price 3, Nick Markovich 9, Blake Nash 18, Charles Ward 7, Derek Detrick 12, Terrance Motley 4, Moriba Defreitas 4.

WNCC will host Thanksgiving Classic Thursday through Saturday

               The Western Nebraska Community College Thanksgiving Classic will be stuffed with basketball talent when games tip off Thursday night as four teams that have had national recognition in the past five years hit the courts of Cougar Palace.

               WNCC, 8-1, will open the tournament against Williston State at 7 p.m. while the Eastern Wyoming Lancers face No. 15 Indian Hills Community College at 5 p.m. The tournament runs through Saturday.

               WNCC coach Russ Beck said his goal is to bring in top-notch competition to Cougar Palace and this weekend should wet a basketball fans' appetite.

               "This is a big tournament and these are big games," he said. "Last year Williston State was one game from getting to Hutch and Indian Hills is ranked 15^th in the country right know. We have two, quality opponents that will be coming in that bring different things to the table. But, I like our momentum going into this weekend."

               WNCC is entering the tournament with quite a bit of momentum after stunning then No. 13 ranked College of Southern Idaho 89-87 in front of 2,000 people in the K&T Invitational in Twin Falls, Idaho. The Cougars also picked up wins against TAAG Academy, a top Prep school, and Sullivan College, who was ranked No. 1 in the NJCAA Division III polls.

               The three wins came at a time when the Cougars needed some positive energy after being upended at home on Nov. 16 by Central Wyoming College. That loss turned out to be a positive thing for the Cougars.

               "We want to bring in quality teams, quality opponents. We started out the year with Oglala and Buckley Air Force Base," Beck said. "You know every team around plays teams early on that helps them get started. You always have to warm up that engine before you go out and rev it up. We are in that point of time where we want to rev that engine a little bit and we want to see where we stand against some of the nation’s best teams. That is why we play teams like CSI, Indian Hills, Williston, Sheridan and Salt Lake. Those are games that are not built into our schedule that we went out and found ourselves.

               The Cougars' opener against Williston State will be against a team that has plenty of offensive weapons. The Tetons are led by 6-0 freshman Blake Nash of Casa Grande, Ariz., and Terrance Motley, a 6-5 freshman from Maricopa, Ariz. Nash is averaging 20.7 points a game, including making 51.4 percent from behind the arc.

               "Blake Nash is their point guard and has the reputation of being one of the best guards on the west coast or in junior college," Beck said. "He is being highly recruited and is a red-shirt freshman. He sat out last year so he could play this year and then have three years to play Division I. He is a scorer and he will pull up in transition. We will have to definitely key on him.

               "They also have a few big bodies who will bang around on the inside. They have a nice power forward Terrance Mattley out of Arizona that we watched play this summer a little bit and he is a slasher, scorer and plays with emotion. This team plays really, really hard."

               WNCC, however, will counter with plenty of offensive and defensive mentality of their own. Several players stepped up in the weekend games in Twin Falls, Idaho.

               "Justin Omogun gives us a lot of athleticism and Marko [Kovacevic] is starting to come into his own. He had about 15 dunks this last weekend." Beck said. "Justin Standley is a red-shirt from New Mexico State and had a huge game for us on Saturday. He was 5 of 7 from the 3-point area and we expect him to continue to be that aggressive. Hauns Brereton is a great player for us. Going down the list, I think this team is really balanced. We don’t lose a whole lot as we substitute."

               The Thanksgiving tournament will also feature women's contests on Friday and Saturday. Friday's schedule has the EWC women facing Oglala Lakota College at 3 p.m., the Williston and Indian Hills men at 5 p.m. and then the WNCC women facing Williston State. Games on Saturday begin at 1 p.m.

               Beck is hoping for a big crowd to seem some good junior college basketball this weekend.

               "I hope everybody comes out and supports us," he said. "This will be a big weekend for Cougar basketball and we want to restore some of that magic to the palace."

               COUGAR NOTES: The athletic department will also be having two promotions over the Thanksgiving Classic. On Thursday during halftime of the WNCC men's game, there will be turkey bowling where individuals can win a turkey. Then, on  Saturday, the Playhouse Skate and Fun Center will set up one of their bounce houses for the youngsters to jump in during the Cougar men's and women's games.