WNCC and North Platte battle on Tuesday

The Western Nebraska Community College men are in a must-win situation when they host North Platte Community College on Tuesday if they have hopes of hosting the Region IX tournament in March.

                The Cougar men, who pushed their record to 11-10, host a Knight squad that is 9-11 on the season. More importantly, the Cougars are just 1-1 in sub-region play while the Knights are 0-2. Both teams trail Northeast (Neb.) Community College, who is 3-0 in sub-region play.

                Tip-off for Tuesday’s contest is slated for 7:30 p.m. The winner of the sub-region will host the Region IX tournament which begins the first weekend in March.

                “It is the biggest game of the year because it is the game that is right in front of us,” WNCC coach Russ Beck said. “Hopefully, as we take the one game approach to things, we then can accomplish our overall goals.”

                For the Cougars, they are still in good position, but they have to take care of business the rest of the way out after suffering a loss to Northeast Nebraska on 84-66 on Jan. 22. Since then, the Cougars have won their last two games, topping a good McCook squad 105-88 and then won a heart-stopper on Saturday against Northeastern Junior College 69-68.

“Every game down the stretch is important,” Beck said. “We have to use the non sub-region games to prepare us and help us get better for the sub-region games. So, our remaining games against Casper, Otero, NJC, and EWC, we need to get better. We are chasing Northeast a little bit, but we are still in control of our own destiny at this points. We just need to win out in the sub-region in a fashion that will give a chance to host the tournament.”
                Tuesday’s contest won’t be an easy contest. North Platte, who won the Region IX tournament a year ago, has dropped it’s only two sub-region contests of the season, falling to McCook 129-104 and then losing to Northeast Nebraska on Friday 68-52.

“North Platte won the sub-region last year and got to the national tournament,” Beck said. “They don’t have many returners form that team because they lost 10 sophomores, but they have Karol Gruszewski. He is a good player who is averaging over 22 points a game.

“North Platte is a lot like us in the fact that they are relatively young. They have good players and they are capable of getting a win.  They are going to be up for it. It is a sub-region game, a rivalry game, and all of us are fighting for the same thing in trying to host the tournament.
                Northeast leads the sub-region with a 3-0 mark and 17-6 overall after stopping McCook 84-80 on Saturday. All of Northeast’s sub-region wins came on the road.

After Tuesday’s contest, the Cougar men will travel to Eastern Wyoming College on Thursday.

NOTES:

Tuesday’s home game will also be Family Night, where every family member that comes dressed in Cougar apparel will get in for just $1 per family member. Also, Wednesday’s women’s contest between the Cougars and Lamar Community College will be Senior Citizen Day, where the first 50 seniors will receive a free popcorn and drink. Tip-off for the game is slated for 5:30 p.m.

Region IX Men’s Standings

Team                                                     Overall                 Sub-Region

East Sub-region

Northeast Nebraska                       17-6                       3-0

WNCC                                                   11-10                     1-1

McCook                                                12-10                     1-2

North Platte                                       9-11                       0-2

South Sub-region

Lamar CC                                             17-4                       3-0

NE Colorado                                       12-9                       2-0

Trinidad State                                   11-10                     0-1

Otero JC                                               14-9                       0-2

Laramie County                                9-11                       0-2

Central Sub-region

Western Wyoming                          13-8                       4-0

Casper                                                  17-6                       4-1

Gillette                                                18-5                       3-2

Central Wyoming                            14-9                       1-3

Eastern Wyojming                           4-17                       0-6

North Sub-region

Sheridan                                              17-5                       4-0

Northwest Wyoming                     12-8                       3-1

Dawson                                                11-9                       2-2

Miles City                                            11-9                       2-3

Little Big Horn                                   3-17                       0-5

WNCC men register 1-point win over NJC on the road

STERLING, Colo. – Hauns Brereton got a block and rebound with five seconds to play to help the Western Nebraska Community College men’s basketball team earn a thrilling 69-68 win over the Northeastern Junior College Plainsmen.
                The win pushed the Cougar men’s record to 11-10, but more importantly, the men’s team picked up the signature win in a tough environment.
                WNCC coach Russ Beck said this is a monumental win for the team, but it is just one win in several more the team is trying to pick up.
                “NJC is a hard place to play. They have the leading scorer in the country, so it was a big road win for us,” he said. “The kids are happy, but it is just one win. We want to host the tournament so we are going to take these sub-region games against North Platte, McCook and Northeast down the stretch.”

What won the game for the Cougars was their defensive tenacity. WNCC out-rebounded the Plainsmen 48-39, and they held one of the nation’s top scorers in Widget Washington to just 22 pionts on 8 of 19 shooting.

“Defensively, we hunkered down and got stops,” Beck said. “I am starting to have a little bit more confidence as the coach of this team with our man-to-man defense. We are doing a better job of keeping the ball out of the middle of the floor, which is key for us. We hung in there. They made a couple of runs and we responded.”

WNCC held a 12-9 lead early in the first half before the Plainsmen went up 18-12 and later 33-24. WNCC kept fighting cutting the lead to 38-34 on a Brereton bucket. Moments later, Brereton hit the biggest bucket of the night as he drained a 3-pointer as the halftime buzzer went off to pull the Cougars to within 40-37.

WNCC came out in the second half n plenty of energy, taking a 44-43 lead behind a bucket by Mike Peltz and two buckets by Marko Kovacevic. NJC came back to take a 54-48 lead on a Austin Maag 3-pointer.

The Cougar men battled back to cut the lead to one point on several occasions, including 64-63 on a Justin Standley bucket with three minutes to play. NJC went back up 66-63 before WNCC took their the lead with 2:27 to play on a Brereton driving bucket and two free throws by Joe Stock at 67-66.

Brereton put the Cougars up 69-66 with two free throws with 57 seconds to play. Washington then hit two free throws with 47.9 seconds to play to slice the lead to a single digit. NJC then had a chance to win the game on a last second shot, but Brereton came up with the block and rebound and threw the ball down the court to preserve the win.

Brereton led all scorers with 23 points. The sophomore also pulled down 10 rebounds and was 10 of 13 from the free throw line. Three other Cougars finished with seven points each including Kovacevic, Joe Stock and Justin Standley.

WNCC, 11-10, will look for there third straight win on Tuesday when they host North Platte Community College in a sub-region contest beginning at 7:30 p.m.

“We want to keep the magic, keep the hope alive a little bit,” Beck said. “Hopefully, we can get another win against North Platte.”

WNCC                   37 32 -- 69           
NJC                        40 28 --- 68
NORTHEASTERN JUNIOR COLLEGE
Ray Riley 7, Kameron Pearce 16, Melvin Washington 4, Widgett Washington 22, BJ Dundar 7, Tyrell Williams 6, James Stukes 1, Austin Maag 5.
WESTERN NEBRASKA
Brady Mason 2, Mike Peltz 2, Preston Eaton 2, Justin Standley 7, Joe Stock7, Stephen Shepherd 5, Hauns Brereton 23, Raul Delgado 6, Aamir Kelliehan 2, Aaron Turner 6, Marko Kovacevic 7.

WNCC women fall to NJC for second defeat of year

                STERLING, Colo. --  In a battle of top 25 teams, it was the No. 21 Northeastern Junior College women getting the better of the No. 13 Western Nebraska Community College Saturday night 73-64.

               The Plainswomen, in picking up the win, converted on 7 of 14 3-point shots and shot 40 percent from the field.

               Freshman Leona Garrett, who finished with a game-high 10 points, said they just made too many mistakes.

               “We played well, we just made a lot of mistakes,” the freshman said. “Next game against them, we need to not turn the ball over so much and not foul as much.”

               The Cougars did play well, but for most of the game, they couldn’t get a call to go their way as the Plainswomen took the momentum halfway through the first half and ran with it.

               The beginning of the first half, though, was a battle between the NJCAA ranked teams. NJC grabbed a 16-7 lead on a bucket by Hannah Pollert. WNCC fought back tying the contest at 21-21 on 3-pointers by Leona Garrett and Kyra Peterson. NJC retook the lead on a trey by Lynnae Cox and then went on an 8-0 run to lead 32-23. NJC took a 43-33 lead into the locker room on a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Adaugo Osuale.

               WNCC came out in the second half and made a game of it. After NJC took a 48-35 lead, the Cougars sliced the lead to five points, 55-50 as Thais Pinto collected six points and Peterson and Garrett each had a bucket.

               The Cougars got even closer at 56-52 on two Garrett free throws with 10 minutes to play. NJC, though, went on a 7-0 run to push the lead back to nine points at 63-52.

               Trailing by 12, 67-55 with five minutes to play, WNCC tried to make a last drive over the next three minutes cutting the lead to eight points at 67-59. But, that was a close as they could get in suffering their second defeat on the season.

               NJC shot 40.4 percent from the field and were 20 of 30 from the free throw line. The Cougars, on the other hand, were 39 percent from the field and 16 of 28 from the free throw line.

               NJC was led by Alicia Nichols with 17 points followed by Lynnae Cox with 13 and Morgan Fox with 11 points. Nichols hit on five 3-pointers.

               WNCC was paced by Garrett and Shelby Campbell with 10 points each. Both players also led the team in rebounding with six boards each.

               The Cougars will next be in action Wednesday when they host Lamar Community College at 5:30 p.m.

WNCC (19-2)                     33 31 -- 64

NJC                                      43 30 -- 73

NORTHEASTERN COLORADO

Adaugo Osuala 9, Lynnae Cox 13, Ashley North 6, Alicia Nichols 17, Morgan Fox 11, Hannah Pollart 8, Maty Diallo 9.

WESTERN NEBRASKA

Samantha Sanders 7, Shelby Campbell 10, Tiffany Moorer 4, Lisa Durden 4, Kyra Peterson 9, ChaCha Ofoegbl 8, Leona Garrett 10, Thais Pinto 8, Carolina Alves 4.

WNCC's Guadarrama goes from soccer to boxing

 

            Western Nebraska Community College sophomore Chris Guadarrama has always had a passion to try boxing. Shortly after the Cougar men’s soccer team ended, Guadarrama put on the gloves and started training for his first amateur fight in Rapid City, S.D., back in December.

            Guadarrama came out of the fight as a victor, topping his opponent 30-28. His opponent had experience having fought seven times previously.

            The Gering High graduate said he will continue boxing as his next fight is scheduled in the coming months. Guadarrama also helps out at the Guadalupe Boxing Club, working with youngsters.

Q: Were you surprised to get the win in your first boxing match and how do you feel about getting that first win?

A: Well, I felt I lost the fight and I even told the ref “man I should of done better.” Then the ref said, “I think you did all you could.” But, it felt really good to win it, because I don’t like losing. I do accept defeat, but I went in there having that winning attitude. This win felt really good to me too because my opponent had seven fights before me. For me to fight against someone who had more experience than me and beating him, I couldn’t believe it .The first win is always the best. I feel it will establish my career and will give me the confidence I need in my next fights.

Q: Was boxing in that first match what you though it was going to be?
A: Actually no. I thought he was going to take me to school. He had experience and I thought that was an advantage for him. I kept thinking before we fought, “I’m I really ready for this fight?” I kept looking at him and thought, “I feel ready. I think I can take him.” And when we got in the ring, it really surprised me how I was dominating the fight instead of him. He even out-weighed me by 6 pounds. So the fight was a big surprise to me. I didn’t expect to come out with the “W.”

Q: What was the hardest part for you in the fight?
A: The hardest part for me was, of course, hurting my opponent. People back home know me as a nice kid, the type of kid who wouldn’t hurt anyone. So for me to go in there and hurt someone was the hardest thing. [WNCC soccer coach Todd] Rasnic tells me the next day after the fight, “Did you tell the guy you were sorry.” I laughed and said, “Nope coach not this time, but I was considering it.” That’s what this sport is about though, hurting each other until someone gives up or loses by the boxing judges deciding the outcome. I didn’t mean to hurt him if I did, but that’s the name of the game.”

Q: What was the reason why you won?
A: The reason I won was because of my coach (Javier Conde), my teammates, and some of the local parents who traveled to watch. If it wasn’t for the training and preparation my coach taught me I wouldn’t have been able to do it. And hearing the cheers and screams from the fans, teammates and our coach, it makes you want to go knock out the guy or win at all costs. Another reason I felt I won was I never gave up even when the tide turned at times during the match. I worked my way out of jams and kept pushing to the end.

Q: What kind of training did you go through for this first fight?
A: Training consisted of a routine. Monday, Wednesday and Friday were the days that we trained. I like to start off with a light jog, at least one mile or two. After that, I have a list which consists of four rounds of jumping jacks at 2 minutes, squats for four rounds at 2 minutes, 300 crunches sometimes I aim for at least 500, and at least 100-150 push-ups. Once that is all done, I hit the punching bags, speed bags, and mitts for 3 rounds at 2 minutes each.”

Q: What are your future plans for boxing?
A: I would like to keep boxing for as long as I can. I think I want to stay amateur for least a couple of years, before I ever decide to go pro. I still have a lot to learn. My heart really wants to keep playing soccer because that’s the sport I really want to make pro at. But, as for boxing, it’s something I always liked and I want to keep doing. It is a sport to keep me in shape and keep doing for fun. But, I’m not saying I would ever consider going pro for boxing.

Q: Why did you decide to box and have you boxed before this year?
A: Well, my inspiration came from my best friend in high school, Vincent Lopez. When we were in high school he boxed and he always wanted me to join it, but I was always busy training for soccer. He did great. I think he had five fight and won them all. He still fights, but he is currently serving in the Marines. It’s funny I talked to him and told him, “Look at what you got me into.” He laughed and I told him, “I would try to make him proud.” We would watch pro fights on TV and I think that also played a key into my decision to fight. My boxing idol or the one whose boxing style I loved to watch was Oscar De La Hoya. His never-give-up-attitude and the struggles he went through to make it professional really inspires me and gives me hope that one day I can make in the professional business. I really didn’t think I was going to fight anyone. I trained in the summer so I could be in shape for my last season with the Cougar men’s soccer team this last fall. I never fought in the summer because there were no fights available, but I trained a lot and it showed on the soccer field. I’m really glad I did this sport, I have no regrets.

Q:  Is there anything else you want to say about your boxing career?
A: I would just like to say thank you to my family and everyone who supported me through boxing and soccer, and it really means a lot without all of them. I couldn’t have done it without them. I would also like to thank all of the coach’s (Rasnic, [[Justin] Clark, and Conde) for always having confidence in me and making me into the athlete and person I am today. And, to my teammates who I have had the pleasure to play alongside, you guys were the best and I wish the best for all you.

WNCC men post win over McCook

                The East sub-region just got a little bit tighter Tuesday evening after the Western Nebraska Community College men’s basketball team played a complete game from start to finish in topping McCook Community College 105-88 Tuesday at Cougar Palace.

                The Cougar, who evened their record at 10-10 and pushed their sub-region mark to 1-1, won the contest by putting four players in double figures and out-rebounding a talented McCook squad 55-26.

                Marko Kovacevic made a huge impact in the middle, finishing with a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds. Hauns Brereton paced the Cougars with 27 points followed by Mike Peltz with 16 and Justin Omogun with 14 points.

                WNCC coach Russ Beck said this is the championship team that he has seen first semester when they the Cougars bolted to an 8-1 mark in November.

                “I had only seen that team play once this season and that was when we beat CSI,” Beck said. “Tonight we played physical and we played together. We had three main goals. We wanted to limit our opponents to 10 or less offensive rebounds, limit our turnovers to under 15, and we wanted to shoot 75 percent from the free throw line. We got all three of those goals. We had 13 turnovers, we were 76 percent from the free throw line, and we dominated on the boards tonight 55-26. McCook is a good ball club.”

                The win was much needed for the Cougars, who stopped a four-game losing skid. And they stopped the slide against a talented McCook team that has scored 257 points in their last two wins over North Platte Community College and William Penn junior varsity.

                “It is only one game and we reminded ourselves about that in the locker room after the game. We want to see this same team perform from game to game,” Beck said. “McCook is a team that really will run and gun. But, tonight, we wanted to keep them out of the paint. They are very athletic and have quick little guards that can get to the paint and create. If you saw the substitution pattern tonight, if you got beat to the middle, you were coming out of the game.”

                The first half was a slugfest as two high-scoring offenses went toe-to-toe. McCook grabbed a 34-32 lead with 5:38 left in the first half on a Michael Cutright 3-pointer. After that, the Cougars turned up the juice, going on a 11-0 run that was started by back-to-back buckets by Hauns Brereton. Mike Peltz then got into the scoring as he scored his first points of the game on back-to-back buckets. WNCC went on to lead 44-35 at halftime.

                The second half was tight early on as McCook cut the lead on back-to-back 3-pointers by Darius Robinson with just three minutes gone in the half. WNCC turned the tide quickly as Joe Stock and Brereton each hit buckets and Kovacevic and Omogun each hammered home dunks to push the lead to 67-54.

                The Indians kept fighting as they sliced the lead to nine points, 75=84 on a Shawn Tarver bucket.  Kovacevic changed the momentum a few minutes later as he had a huge dunk with three minutes to play to give the Cougars a 93-80 lead. The Cougars then hit free throws down the stretch to pick up the win.

                WNCC will next be in action Saturday when they travel to Sterling, Colo., to face Northeastern Junior College. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m.

McCook (12-9)                  35 53 – 88

WNCC (10-10)                    44 61 – 105

MCCOOK

Darius Robinson 31, Michael Cutright 18, George Pollard 8, Onyema Uti 5, Eric Cutright 8, Marquis Buleson 2, Shawn Tarver 13, Martin Minaric 3.

WNCC
Mike Peltz 16, Preston Eaton 6, Justin Standley 4, Joe Stock 9, Justin Omogun 14, Stephen Shepherd 2, Hauns Brereton 27, Raul Delgado 8, Brady Mason 8, Marko Kovacevic 11.

WNCC women topple McCook 88-29

                The Western Nebraska Community College women’s basketball team received a 20-point performance from Kyra Peterson and the Cougar ladies blew out McCook Community College 88-29 in a East Sub-region contest Tuesday evening at Cougar Palace.

                The No. 11 Cougars, in picking up their 19^th win of the season, put together a complete game from start to finish and left little doubt after the opening three minutes of the contest of who was going to win the contest.

                “I thought early on we made a statement by getting on them by 20 or 25,” WNCC coach Dave Harnish said. “That is what you have to do playing at home or playing on the road. We jumped on them and stayed on it and that is something that we haven’t been doing. Tonight I thought we continued to build the lead and continued to play hard. “
                The Cougars definitely showed a different team on the court then on Saturday against Northeast Community College, and it wasn’t just one player either that contributed. The Cougars bench outscored McCook 53-5. The bench was another area that pleased Harnish.

                “I was frustrated that we couldn’t go deep with our bench in past games. Tonight was different,” he said. “Two or three other girls are coming up and playing a little bit harder coming off the bench and that is helping us. It is key for our bench to be successful if we want to play at a fast tempo.”

                The Cougars quickly built an 8-0 lead four minutes into the contest. The lead grew to 38-9 on two Peterson 3-pointers. Lisa Durden then cashed in two 3-pointers to push the lead to 39-12 as the Cougars held a commanding 50-17 lead at halftime.

                WNCC’s defense was even more stellar in the second half, holding McCook to just 12 points. WNCC’s offense was also clicking on all cylinders, going on a 24-0 run over a 11 minute period. During the run was capped by back-to-back buckets by Ashley Soucie, who finished with eight points and six rebounds in just 10 minutes on the court.

                “I think we did a good job all night long defensively,” Harnish said. “I think we are pushing it up a little bit better and using our athleticism better than we did a week or two ago. We played a better complete game tonight. I think when you have the intensity level and you are mentally ready to go, you shoot better. We shot better from the outside and anytime you can shoot well from the perimeter, it will help our inside game. It gave us good balance inside and out.”

                WNCC had just two players finish in double figures, led by Peterson’s 20 points. Carolina Alves chipped in 11 points. Shelby Campbell, Thais Pinto each had nine points, while Soucie finished with eight points. Campbell also paced the team with eight rebounds, followed by Darachia Johnson with 7.

                WNCC< 19-1, will return to action on Saturday when they face Northeastern Junior College at Sterling, Colo. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 p.m.

                “It is a big game and NJC is a good team,” Harnish said. “Last time we went on the road we went to Casper and didn’t play well. It is important that we go and play a good team on their home court. I think we are going in there with some confidence and hopefully we will play well Saturday.”

McCook (16-6)                  17 12 – 29

WNCC (19-1)                      50 38 – 88

MCCOOK

Porsche Shakes 5, Kat Harley 6, Claudia Ortega 1, Elle Hiester 2, Davina Jefferson 4, Jacqueline Lovato 4, Whitley Jenkins 2, Alayna White 2.

WESTERN NEBRASKA

Samantha Sanders 5, Ashley Soucie 8, Shelby Campbell 9, DaNae Quijas 2, Tiffany Moorer 4, Lisa Durden 6, Kyra Peterson 20, ChaCha Ofoegby 6, Darachia Johnson 2, Leona Garrett 6, Thais Pinto 9, Carolina Alves 11.

WNCC volleyball coach donates her hair to Locks of Love

Western Nebraska Community College volleyball coach Giovana Melo is sporting a new look after donating 11 inches of her hair to the Locks of Love national program.                  Melo, who guided the Cougars to the NJCAA national championship in November, told the team  while at the NJCAA national tournament that if they won the title she would cut her hair short once again.
                “I kept looking on the Internet pages everyday on the Locks of Love webpage, and I said I wanted to do it more and more,” she said. “I decided to do it [give the hair to the organization] because I thought it would be a good cause.”
                Melo said the last time she had short hair was her sophomore year in college in 2002-03 when she was a blonde setter for the WNCC Cougar volleyball team. After that, she let her hair grow for the next seven years.
                Monday evening everything changed. She lived up to her promise to the team at Spa by TLC. In front of her players, who counted down to the actually cutting, Melo had 11-inches cut off her hair. The only thing she didn’t do was go back to her hair color back when she was a sophomore at WNCC.
                Melo said that she was scared to see what she would look like with short hair again.
                “Yes, I was very scared when they cut it,” she said.
                The players, however, said that it is a good sacrifice for winning the national title. They also were picking out different short hairstyles for their coach.
                “I think it is a good sacrifice for winning the national championship,” freshman middle hitter Lais Soares said. “But, I think she should have shaved it.”
                Lindsey Gonzalez, assistant coach, said that Melo should enjoy her new look.
                “It will be pretty easy to take care of,” she said. “But, she is going to get irritated because it is short now.”
                Melo said that she will have to come up with something different the next time they win a national title.
                “I won’t shave it if we win another national title,” she said. “I will have to find something else to do.”
                The Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under the age of 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. The organization meets a unique need for children by using donated hair to create the highest quality hair prosthetics.

Most of the children helped by Locks of Love have lost their hair due to a medical condition called alopecia areata, which has no known cause or cure.

The organization, which was founded in 1998, goes through thousands of bundles of hair each year, which is then shipped to the manufacture to make the wig.

WNCC men and women host McCook on Tuesday

                The Western Nebraska Community College men’s and women’s basketball team will host another sub-region contest on Tuesday when McCook Community College comes to Cougar Palace.

                The women’s contest tips off at 5:30 p.m. followed by the men’s contest. Both games should be barnburners as McCook brings in two solid programs.

                The McCook women are having one of its best seasons to date as they are sitting at 16-5 on the season, including wins over Casper (73-67), Dodge City (118-90) and Central Wyoming (79-74).

                The No. 11 WNCC women are just two wins from another 20-win season. WNCC picked up its 18^th win of the season on Saturday with a 78-48 win over Northeast Nebraska. Tuesday’s contest between WNCC and McCook will definitely be a battle of offenses. Both squads are averaging 70 points a game.

                “It is a big game because it is a sub-region game,” freshman Kyra Peterson said. “They are a good team so we have to go out and play disciplined, play defense and have a high intensity game. It is important to win all our sub-region games.”

                What will decide the contest will be defense. The Cougar women are ranked second in the nation in defense, giving up just 49 points a game.  The Cougar women have allowed about 50 or fewer points in five of their last six games.  Peterson said that defense makes the offense go.

                “It definitely is big for us to play strong defense because that is what creates our offense,” she said. “If we play intense on defense, then we are going to pick it up on offense. “

                That is what the Cougar women did Saturday night with the 30-point win against Northeast Nebraska. In that game, the Cougars started slow but opened up the contest with an 18-0. Peterson said it is important for them to start fast against a good McCook squad.

                “We need to start strong right from the tipoff,” she said. “It will be important to start off with high energy. We need to get everyone talking, including the bench. It is also important so we can set a tone early in the game instead of waiting halfway through.”

                McCook’s top scorers are Davina Jefferson and Porsche Shakes. Jefferson , a freshman from Miami, is averaging 19.5 points a game, while Shakes, a freshman from West Palm Beach, Fla., is scoring at a clip of 13.1 points.

                Peterson said they will need to contain the two freshman guards.

                “They have two quick guards that are good players,” she said. “We just have to stay down, play solid defense, and not get into foul trouble against them.”

                Peterson said they are in a midst of playing some tough games, and the loss to Casper last week might have been an eye-opener. The Cougars fell to the Thunderbirds 73-67 in overtime last Tuesday.

                “That loss definitely gave us a feeling of what a loss feels like and none of us want to feel it again,” she said. “So, it has motivated us. We go harder in practice every day. We know we have to come out with intensity and don’t give up in a game because any team can come back any day.”

                Just like the women’s contest, the men’s game will be an interesting matchup. The Cougar men, who have dropped their last four games to slip to 9-10 on the season, will face a McCook squad that is 12-8 and winners of their last two contests. The Indians have been on an offensive tear in their last four contests, topping North Platte Community College 129-104 on Thursday and then beating the William Penn junior varsity 128-81 on Saturday.

                McCook also topped Southeast Nebraska 106-72 and then beat Hastings College junior varsity 93-80.

                The Cougar men have found the going tough in their last 10 games, which included a 84-66 loss lose to Northeast Nebraska on Saturday at Cougar Palace.

                A win against McCook, though, will put the Cougars back into a position to win the East sub-region with a chance to host the regional tournament. A loss, gives the Indians the inside edge to host regionals.

                After Tuesday’s contests, both Cougar teams will hit the road for contests Saturday at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colo.

WNCC women pick up 18th win of season against Northeast Nebraska

 The Western Nebraska Community College women’s basketball team showed why they are one of the top defensive teams in the nation by holding Northeast (Nebraska) Community College to under 50 points en route to a commanding 79-48 sub-region win Saturday afternoon at Cougar Palace.
                The No. 11 Cougars, in posting their 18^th win of the season, put four players in double figures and out-rebounded the Hawks 45-32. The big key in the game, though, came midway through the first half when the WNCC women opened up a 15-13 lead, going on a 16-0 run over the next six minutes to open up a 31-13 lead.
                The run was sparked by Kyra Peterson connecting on eight points, including two clutch 3-pointers and six points from 6-foot-7 center Thais Pinto. WNCC led 34-22 at intermission.
                WNCC coach Dave Harnish said his team started slow, but picked up the intensity with the run. He said the run was spearheaded by their strong defense.
                “The stretch where we got the lead, we created three or four turnovers off our press. We got some easy buckets and kind of opened it up,” he said. “I thought the tempo was better tonight. I thought the pressure was better. I thought the energy was better throughout the game.”
                The Cougars defense forced Northeast into 28 turnovers, while WNCC committed just 13. That defensive pressure is what pleased Harnish, especially after the Casper loss on Tuesday night.
                “We caused a lot more turnovers tonight, which we haven’t done in the past,” he said. “We have to get more aggressive defensively. We just need to create some easy points for us and I think we did that tonight with the press.”
                The Cougars definitely did create plenty of easy buckets, but they also missed on some easy shots. Still, WNCC blistered the nets for 45 percent shooting and were 40 percent from the 3-point arc (6 of 15). Northeast couldn’t buy a bucket, shooting at 30 percent for the game, including 27 percent from beyond the arc (3 of 11).
                The second half is where the Cougars started to open up the contest, going on two mini runs that took the wind out of the Hawks’ sail. After Northeast cut the deficit to a 10-point game at 36-26 on a Carolyn Taite bucket, the Cougars went on a 8-0 run was highlighted by five points from Hemingford graduate Shelby Campbell, including a 3-pointer.
                The Cougars widened the lead to 50-28 on two Leona Garrett buckets. WNCC pushed the lead to 20 points, 56-35 on a Carolina Alves bucket and never really relinquished the 20-point lead the rest of the way.
                The only down spot on the game, however, was free throw shooting. The two teams combined for 59 free throw attempts. Northeast was 19 of 26 from the line for 73 percent, while the Cougars were a measly 16 of 33 for 49 percent.
                “Still, we were pretty poor at the free throw line and also missing some lay ups. Hopefully we will get there,” Harnish said. “We are trying to play at a faster pace. We are not used to playing at that level. I am happy with the win. This was a good win after coming back from the Casper loss.”
                Peterson paced the Cougar attack with 15 points, including three 3-pointers. Campbell poured in 13 points and also led the team in rebounding with seven. Garrett finished with 12 points and Pinto added 10.
                Northeast was led by Erica Long with 13 points followed by Christian Janis with 10 points.
                WNCC, 18-1, will next be in action on Tuesday when they host McCook Community College in another sub-region contest. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 p.m.
                “We have another sub-region game on Tuesday and one that we play at home at well,” Harnish said. “You have to win those games at home. This was one today we needed to have very badly. You can’t lose at home in a sub-region game, so we have to do that again Tuesday night.”

Northeast (13-6)              22 26 – 48
WNCC (18-1)                      34 44 – 78
NORTHEAST
Christine Fischer 4, Shelby Hunger 2, Christian Janis 10, Erin Svehla 2, Erica Long 13, Shelbee Cox 3, Theresa Lindquin 5.
WNCC
Samantha Sanders 3, Shelby Campbell 13, Tiffany Moorer 3, Lisa Durden 5, Kyra Peterson 15, ChaCha Ofoegbu 8, Darachia Johnson 5, Leona Garrett 12, Thais Pinto 10, Carolina Alves 4.

WNCC men fall to Northeast Nebraska

   Northeast Community College’s Zach Towle lit up the nets from downtown, connecting on six 3-pointers in leading the Hawks to a 84-66 sub-region over Western Nebraska Community College Saturday afternoon at Cougar Palace.
                The Hawks totaled 10 3-pointers for the game and sizzled the nets for 49 percent shooting in getting the East Sub-region win. WNCC led just once in the contest at 7-5 on a Mike Peltz bucket, but other than that, the Hawks dictated the tempo of the game with a balanced inside and outside game.
                After WNCC took the lead on Peltz’ steal early in the first half, the Hawks came right back as Towle nailed a 3-pointer. The sophomore from Maplewood, Minn., finished with four 3-pointers and 14 points in the first half.
                WNCC fought back, slicing the lead to a single digit, 15-14, on a Juston Omogun bucket with 11 minutes left in the opening frame. Northeast, however, vaulted back in front with a 10-0 run at 35-14. The Cougars did mount a late first-half comeback, slicing the lead to three points, 32-29 on a Stephen Shepherd bucket, but another 8-0 run opened the lead for the Hawks. Northeast led 40-32 at intermission.
                Northeast flexed it’s muscles in the early part of the second half, vaulting to a 51-35 lead on a 3-pointer by Towle and Brad Peiper. The Hawks kept excelling as they went up 61-41 with 12:30 to play on a bucket by Tony Lauters.
                WNCC didn’t give up as they shifted things into another gear, going on a 13-2 run to cut the lead to single digits, 54-63 with over eight minutes left in the game. The run was highlighted by back-to-back buckets by Preston Eaton and four points each by Shepherd and Raul Delgado.
                Northeast’s Jayvin Reynolds stopped the run with a bucket and the Hawks went on another 10-0 run, capped by Towle’s sixth trey of the game, for a 73-54 lead with five minutes left. WNCC never could recover from that run, as they dropped the sub-region contest.
                WNCC had three players finish with double figures, led by Hauns Brereton with 19 points. Delgado and Joe Stock each chipped in 10 points.
                Northeast was led by Towle’s 20 points, while Cameron Adderly had 13 points.
                The Cougars, 9-10, will look to stop their four-game slide Tuesday night against McCook Community College at Cougar Palace. McCook is 1-0 in sub-region play after shooting past North Platte Community 129-104 on Thursday.

Northeast (12-7)              40 44 – 84
WNCC (9-10)                      32 34 – 66
NORTHEAST
Preston Williams 1, Brad Peiper 6,Tony Lauters 2, Lakheem Trotter 8, Zach Towle 20, Cameron Adderly 13, Dol Kutey 6, Jayvin Renolds 11, Nick Mabbutt 9, Cody Pinder 8.
WESTERN NEBRASKA
Mike Peltz 2, Preston Eaton 5, Joe Stock 10, Justin Omogun 9, Stephen Shepherd 9, Hauns Brereton 19, Raul Delgado 10, Aamir Kelliehan 2.

Former WNCC basketball player Paco Cruz flying high at Wyoming

From the Laramie Boomarang

Of all the players in the Mountain West Conference you might expect to have played the most minutes, Francisco Cruz wouldn’t be one of them.

But the University of Wyoming junior guard is tops among all players in conference games.

Out of a possible 160 minutes over four games, Cruz has played in all but three of them.

Even he didn’t know about his ranking until he was told on Thursday.

“He has been real consistent and efficient,” said junior point guard JayDee Luster of Cruz, who also is his roommate. “He’s mistake free, and that makes it hard to pull a guy out of the game.”

Durable is another way to describe Cruz, who transferred from Western Nebraska Community College this season. He is one of only two Cowboys who have played in every game this season.

He is fourth on the team in scoring (8.3 ppg), and is the team’s best 3-point shooter at 40.6 percent. He also has made 22 of 25 free throws.

In MWC play Cruz averages 10.8 points, second-best on the team. But his 3-point shooting has dipped to 27.8 percent on 5 of 18 shooting.

Cruz came to UW with a reputation of being a perimeter shooter, but his game has evolved into more than that.

“I know now I’m not going to get a wide-open shot every time,” he said. “I’ve got to create my own shot sometimes. That’s been the difference for me; I’m understanding the game more.

“I think I do it naturally. From high school to junior college and to here, there were always challenges for me to score, so I had to find different ways to do it. I just find a way to do it.”

Cruz is coming off an uneventful six-point game on 3 of 7 shooting in UW’s 68-51 home loss to Utah last Saturday. He will need to be more productive when the Cowboys (8-10 overall, 1-3 MWC) play at Air Force (10-7, 1-3) at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

But Cruz didn’t turn the ball over, and he is averaging less than two turnovers per game in MWC play.

“I think Paco, the last five or six games, has played really well,” coach Heath Schroyer said. “It usually takes JUCO guys half a year or a year to figure it out.

“Early, Paco struggled with the speed of the game and things like that. I thought he turned the ball over a little too much. But the last five games, he’s definitely gotten better.”

WNCC men fall to Casper 77-71

  CASPER, Wyo. -- The Casper men's basketball team outscored the Western Nebraska Community College men 40-32 in the second half to overcome a first-half deficit in picking up their 14th win of the season 77-71.
               The loss was the Cougars third straight and dropped their record to 9-9 on the season
               Despite the setback, the Cougars played well in the first half, holding a 39-37 lead at intermission as they shot 47 percent from the field. The second half was a different story as they Cougar men shot just 29 percent from the field. Casper, on the other hand, sizzled the nets for 48 percent for the game.
               WNCC trailed early in the game by nine points at 27-18 and later 29-23. The Cougar fought their way back as Preston Eaton and Mike Peltz were the key scorers. Eaton drained two 3-pointers in the run and Peltz had six points to give the Cougars the lead at 30-29 on their way to the 39-37 halftime lead.
               In the second half, WNCC held a 41-40 lead on a Hauns Brereton bucket and then had the game tied at 42-42. After that, though, the T-Birds took control zipping out to a 52-44 lead on a Demetrius Lee 3-pointer. WNCC cut the lead to six points late, but couldn't get much closer.
               The Cougars out-rebounded the T-Birds 40-30 as Brereton and Justin Omogun each had 10 points.
               Brereton led all scorers with 23 points, including two 3-pointers. Peltz also finished with 13 points while Preston Eaton had 11 points.
               Casper had four players in double figures, led by Brandon Walton with 19 points and four 3-pointers.
               The Cougars will look to get back on the winning track on Saturday when they host Northeast (Neb.) Community College at 3 p.m. The game will also feature at halftime the Minatare cheerleaders performing as well as the youngsters from the Cougar Dance/Cheer Camp that will be held Friday afternoon.
               Saturday's contest is also a sub-region contest with the winner of the sub-region hosting the Region IX tournament in March.

WNCC (9-9)                        39 32 -- 71
Casper (14-6)                     37 40 -- 77
CASPER
Deninson Burguillos 8, Cameron Howard 11, Brandon Walton 19, Demetrius Lee 12, Gilles Tacita 5, Tyler Larson 12, Sam Johnson 4, Cobi Eskew 6.
WESTERN NEBRASKA
Mike Peltz 13, Joe Stock 8, Justin Omogun 4, Hauns Brereton 23, Raul Delgado 9, Preston Eaton 11, Aamir Kelliehan 2, Marko Kovacevic 1.

WNCC women drop first game of the year to Casper in overtime

CASPER, Wyo. -- The Casper women's basketball team used a 18-1 second half run and then held on in overtime to stop the 16th-ranked Western Nebraska Community College Cougars 73-67.

               WNCC coach Dave Harnish said it was a night his team played well in the first half and then they went on a scoring slump while giving up some key buckets that hurt them in the end.

               "It wasn't a terrible game that we played. We had a lead pretty much through the first half and got it to eight or nine in the second half," he said. "We kind of controlled the game before we gave up some threes and made some defensive mistakes. They then made that run and got the lead on us. We just made some mistakes defensively which typically we don't do. Basically, we shot the ball terribly at 52 percent from the free throw line and we couldn't make a 3-point shot. They were giving us the shot, but we just weren't knocking them down. We struggled in making shots."

               WNCC held a 48-39 lean on a Leona Garrett 3-pointer and a Thais Pinto offensive rebound with about eight minutes to play. That was when Casper kicked it into another gear, ripping off 18 points on three 3-pointers by Lindsey Fearing and a trey by Ashley Hutchinson.

               Darachia Johnson stopped the run by nailing a 3-pointer with 3:38 to play. Johnson's jumper started a 7-0 run that sliced the lead to 57-56. Casper kept the lead, pushing the lead to 62-58 with under 30 seconds to play.

               That was when the Cougars had some defensive magic as they got a steal and Shelby Campbell had an easy lay-in with 15.3 seconds in regulation. Moments later, WNCC got another steal and Samantha Sanders tied the game with 3.1 seconds left at 62-62 to force overtime.

               Harnish said he was happy that his team found a way to get the game into the extra five minutes.

               "I was pleased that the kids kept competing to get the game into overtime," he said. "But, through that stretch where Casper got up big on us, we gave up three 3-pointers, almost back-to-back-to-back. We just weren't solid defensively tonight, which has carried us through nights when we don't shoot the ball well."

               In the extra period, Casper went out to a 65-62 lead on three free throws and led 67-64 moments later. WNCC cut the lead to 67-66 on two Tiffany Moorer free throws. Casper then worked the shot  clock down to the wire and Hutchinson buried a shot to put the T-Birds up 69-66.

               Sanders then hit one of two free throws with 44 seconds to cut the lead by tw, but Fearing hit a clutch bucket just as the shot clock was about to expire to put the T-Birds up four. Fearing sealed the upset win with two free throws with 2.2 seconds to play.

               The difference in the game as shooting. The Cougars shot a dismal 31 percent from the field and was just 54 percent from the free throw line. Casper was a touch better, shooting 42 percent from the field but was much better from the charity stripe, going 11 of 17.

               Up until Casper's 18-1 run, the Cougars were playing well. In the first half, WNCC pushed the lead to 24-15 before Casper went on a 7-0 run to cut the lead to 24-22. Shelby Jones and Kyra Peterson brought the Cougars mack with back-to-back 3-pointers. Casper came right back, scoring eight points to cut the lead to 30-29 on a Jasmine Belin 3-pointer.

               Peterson nailed a trey and Moorer had a bucket to help the Cougars take a 35-31 lead into halftime.

               In the early part of the second half, WNCC led 43-26 before Casper changed everything with their 18-1 run.

               Casper was paced by Fearing with 24 points followed by Sherece Huddlin with 14 points.

               WNCC had two players finish with double digits. Moorer and ChaCha Ofoegbu each had 11 points followed by Peterson and Carolina Alves with eight points each. Thais Pinto paced the team with 10 rebounds.

               Harnish said they know what they need to work on for their next games.

               "You never like to lose, but there is a lot of things we need to get better at," he said. "We have to shoot the ball better. We got out-rebounded offensively and we have to take those things and go work on those things and we can get better. If we don't, we will continue to have problems.

               WNCC will be back in action Saturday when they open sub-region play by hosting Northeast (Neb.) Community College on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.

               "It hurts to lose, but the biggest game of the year will be Saturday which is a sub-region game," Harnish said. "That is most important game of the year and it is more important than this one. Hopefully,  we will gather and get after it in practice this week and get ready for Saturday.

WNCC (17-1)                     35 27 5 -- 67

Casper (13-7                      30-32-11 -- 73

CASPER COLLEGE
Sherece Huddlin 14, Rosalie Cutri 5, Jasmine Belin 9, Lindsey Fearing 24, Marlianne Louzeiro 6, Ashley Hutchinson 7, KeAroow Jenkins 8.

WESTERN NEBRASKA

Tiffany Moorer 11, Thais Pinto 6, Shelby Campbell 4, Leona Garrett 6, ChaCha Ofoegbu 11, Darachia Johnson 5, Kyra Peterson 8, Shelby Jones 3, Carolina Alves 8, Samantha Sanders 5.