WNCC volleyball will hold coaches clinic on April 21

Download registration form here

                Western Nebraska Community College volleyball coach Giovana Melo will be offering a volleyball coaching clinic on Saturday, April 21 from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

                The clinic is open to college, high school, middle school, or club volleyball coaches. The clinic will be an opportunity to learn from some of the best coaches in junior college.

                The clinic costs $100 and includes a T-shirt. The clinic will include coaching experiences, player motivation, practice design and management, as well as drills demonstrated by current players. The clinic will be hands-on with coaches actually participating and not just watching. Coaches are advised to wear gym clothes.

                “The clinic will be conducted by WNCC volleyball coaches Giovana Melo, who has guided the Cougar volleyball to four straight top three finishes including a national title in 2010, and Fatima Balza, who played for WNCC and Penn State in winning three national titles – one while at WNCC (2007) and two at Penn State (2009 and 2010). Balza will share her story of playing for Penn State and the recipe of success Penn State had in capturing the national titles.

                For more information on the clinic, contact Melo at 308-635-6028 or at melog@wncc.net. Camp registrations can be downloaded from the WNCC athletic website at sports.wncc.edu.

WNCC's Raul Delgado verbally commits to BYU

                Western Nebraska Community College men’s basketball player Raul Delgado will be taking his talents to the Division I level after verbally committing to attend Brigham Young University on Sunday.

                Delgado accepted the offer after taking a recruiting trip to Provo, Utah. He said it was an obvious choice after visiting the campus. Delgado will officially sign with BYU when the late signing period begins in April.

                “They were recruiting me out of high school and I live only 10 minutes away from BYU,” he said. “BYU is an amazing program. They went to the Sweet 16 two years ago and they have been sending people to the NBA. My friends Brandon Davies and Kyle Collinsworth play on the same team and I will be playing with them. That was a dream I always had to be playing with them.”

                BYU was Delgado’s first officially recruiting visit and he couldn’t help but not accept the offer over the weekend. Delgado also had interest from TCU, Southern Utah, Wyoming, Detroit, Texas A&M, UCLA and Colorado. He said it is a relief to get that pressure off his shoulders.

                “There was a lot of pressure on me with all the colleges calling me. It was like 15 coaches calling me every day,” he said. “To me it was a lot of distraction and a lot of stress. I knew exactly where I always wanted to go and that was BYU. I ended up going on my first official visit and I just made my decision to commit and become a Cougar of Brigham Young University.”

                Delgado is projected to step in right away after the Cougars lose two seniors in May. He said BYU runs the same type of offense as WNCC, so it should be a smooth adjustment.

                “I think I fit pretty well on the team,” he said. “I think it was one of the best options for me basketball-wise and to make a better life. I am pretty close to my family and I will be living at home and being around the communities that I played high school in. This was always my dream and it finally came true.”

                Delgado is originally from Chihauhau, Mexico, but attended high school at Springville High School in Utah. Delgado said he moved to Utah when he was 16 by himself. He said he lived in an apartment and had a family in Utah that really helped him to be successful in school academically.

                “It is always good to go back and be closer to her families,” he said. “My family from Mexico will be able to travel to Utah and watch me play. It is always comfortable to be close to home, especially when you go to college, because it is a lot of responsibility and you always need a mom, dad and family support.”

                The 6-foot-2 shooting guard is averaging 19.7 points a game and is shooting 43 percent from the 3-point are. Delgado set a new school record when he nailed 12 3-pointers in a win against Little Big Horn College. He has scored double figures in 27 straight games dating back to last season. As a freshman, Delgado buried 81 3-pointers and shoot 53 percent from beyond the arc.

                Delgado said he was watching film from when he played in high school and can’t believe the improvement he has made.

                “I watched film from when I was in high school and I didn’t have the concept of basketball as well,” he said. “I saw basketball not as a job but just to have fun. When I came here, it was more like a job. I think I have done a good job in basketball and hopefully we can take the goal that we have to take the championship.”

                WNCC is one of the hottest teams in Region IX right know, sporting an 18-3 record. The Cougars are currently ranked 19^th in the country, which is the first time they have been ranked in the regular season poll since March 2005. Delgado said it means a lot to be of a team that is restoring Cougar magic.

                “It is always good to be on a team that is this good with this much talent,” he said. “This team is more unified than last years and we see each other as a brother. We are trying to realize our goals of winning regionals and going to Hutchinson.”

WNCC softball ranked 19th in pre-season softball poll

                 The Western Nebraska Community College softball team has a little bit more incentive for the season after the NJCAA released the pre-season polls on Friday.

                The Cougars, who finished last season with a 51-15 record and won its second straight Region IX title, enter the season ranked No. 19 in the nation. The ranking is an honor for a WNCC program that has enjoyed plenty of success lately, but WNCC head coach Maria Winn-Ratliff said the team needs to play to that nationally recognized level on the field.

                “It is always nice to get nationally recognized, but we have to go out and play our best every day,” she said. “We want to be number one, so it looks to me like we have to go out and prove that we are better than 18 other teams.”

                Yavapai College, the defending national champs, open the season as the pre-season team to beat. The rest of the top five include Salt Lake Community College, Tallahassee Community College, Blinn College, and Indian River State College.

                The Cougars, who have been practicing for three weeks, will open the season Feb. 17-18 at the Midland College tournament. They will face two ranked teams in the first month of the season when they take on No. 6 Howard College in the Midland Classic followed by No. 13 Iowa Western Community College at the Cloud County Classic the first weekend in March.

                Winn-Ratliff said this year’s schedule is one of the toughest in school history, which should benefit the team in a run for a third straight national tournament appearance.

                “I think this seasons schedule is the toughest that we have played since I have been at WNCC,” she said. “It is hard when you get to the national tourney and your strength of schedule plays a part in the bracket. So, I decided if we are lucky enough to get back to Saint George [Utah], I want to make sure we have played the toughest schedule possible.”

                Winn-Ratliff said the team really hasn’t talked about the ranking since they are approaching the season one game at a time.

                “Honestly, I haven’t talked to them about it,” she said. “We stress within our program to work hard every day and control our attitude and effort.”

                She said while every team’s goal is a trip to the national tournament in St. George, Utah, it will take a complete team effort to realize those goals.

                “Our goal like every year is to be successful in the conference and give ourselves the opportunity to have a good seed in the tourney,” she said. “It is all about getting hot at the right time and playing well on one weekend. Like every year it is going to take solid pitching and defense as well as timely hitting.”

                The Cougars return five players from last year’s regional championship team in catcher Jocelyn Stubbs, outfielder Sarah Hawryluk, pitcher/outfielder Aria Agle, first baseman Bree Bitton, pitcher Amanda Jones, and utility player Mariah Faifer.

                The Cougars will be bolstered by a freshman class of 12 that will fill plenty of holes vacated from last year’s graduating class. Winn-Ratliff said the team has been taking advantage of the recent warm January weather.

                “The weather has helped out a lot and given us an opportunity to get outside more than usual. So we have been able to scrimmage and get more game-like practices,” she said. “The young ladies have been working hard day in and day out. Anytime that you can simulate game-like drills and so forth it obviously helps. We still work on fundamentals every day and in the gym more than we would like, but we want to take advantage of any opportunities that we can to get better by going outside.”

                The Cougars first home contest is slated for March 7 when they host North Platte Community College followed by a conference home doubleheader March 9 against Trinidad State Junior College.

NJCAA Pre-season Softball Poll

1, Yavapai College

2, Salt Lake Community College

3, Tallahassee Community College

4, Blinn College

5, Indian River State College

6, Howard College

7, Chipola Colege

8, Temple College

9, Pima Community College

10, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College

11, Chattanooga State Community College

12, Navarro College

13, Iowa Western Community College

14, Wallace State C.C.-Hanceville

15, Florida State College at Jacksonville

16, Odessa College

17, College of Southern Idaho

18, Darton College

19, Western Nebraska C.C.

20, Lake Land College

Big second half lifts WNCC women over EWC

The Western Nebraska Community College women's basketball team will soon be known as the cardiac kids if they keep playing games the way they have the past three weeks.

Tuesday night, the Cougar women trailed 36-22 at halftime and then came out in the second half shooting 50 percent and outscored Eastern Wyoming College 54-28 to escape with a south sub-region 76-62 win.

"We just came out ready to play in the second half," Samantha Sanders, who ignited for 24 points, said. " I don't know why we can't come out in the first half and do that, but the second half our defense was more focused, we were knocking down shots, and that was the difference."

Sanders is still wondering why this team likes to make games interesting.

"I don't know if it is the lack of bodies, but I honestly just don't know what why we do it," she said. "But, as long as we are coming out with a win and keep doing the things to get better, that is all we can. Winning is the key and working on getting better, so when we play those bigger and better teams, we are not coming out so soft and tired."

Tuesday's sub-region game looked as if Eastern Wyoming College was going to pull the upset as they played like champions in the first half, going on a 10-0 run that was highlighted by 3-pointers by Brianna Pittman and Brittani Colberg for a 24-10 lead.

The Cougars cut the lead to 24-17 only to watch the Lancers mount a 6-0 run that included a ig 3-pointer by Colberg that helped the Lancers to a 36-22 halftime lead.

EWC coach Tom Andersen said his team played well in the second half as they shot 41 percent from the field and connected on five 3-pointers.

"We played well the first half and in the second half we made some bad turnovers that led directly to baskets and we fouled them too much," he said. "It has been this way all season. We have been inconsistent. We play good at times and then not at times. Our kids gave a great effort and Scottsbluff did a good job coming back and turning up the pressure in the second half. They made the plays when they had to. They took the lead but we came back and got it back, but then we had bad mistakes at the wrong time."

The second half was a different story all together for both squads. WNCC, who shot just 21 percent in the first half, shot 50 percent in the second 20 minutes including knocking down four 3-pointers, three of which came from the hands of Sanders.

WNCC, however, didn't grab the lead until midway through the half. The Lancers led 44-38 with about 14 minutes to play. That was when the tide turned as WNCC went on a 12-0 run that included a big 3-pointer by Idil Ozbayrak. WNCC led 50-44 with 10 minutes to play.

The Lancers came back with a 9-0 run that saw Colberg, who finished with 11 points and three treys, nail a 3-pointer for a 53-44 lead. The Cougars defense picked up once again, as they held the Lancers scoreless for the next four minutes while they went on a 14-0 run and a 64-53 lead. The big plays during that run was four points from Jessica Aratani and five points from Sanders, including a 3-pointer and a bucket off a steal.

Sanders said that when her team needs to play like the second half for a complete game.

"When we are focused and want to play defense, we are good," she said. "But we need to come out the first half and play strong all game long instead of waiting until we are down 14 points to do it. The second half we were just knocking down shots."

WNCC had three players finish with double figures. Sanders led all scorers with 24 points, while Kelsey Doddridge chipped in 17 points and Aratani had 13 points. ChaCha Ofoegbu finished with 10 rebounds while Aratani pulled down eight.

The Lancers also had three with double digits. Aylssa Deal led the way with 19 points and three 3-pointers, while Colberg had 11 points and Portia McCray had 13.

The Lancers will next be in action Thursday when they travel to Central Wyoming. WNCC will be back in action Friday when they host Casper College in what is billed as "White Out" night, where fans are asked to wear white.

EWC (3-15) 34 28 -- 62

WNCC (17-4) 22 54 -- 76

EASTERN WYOMING

Alyssa Deal 19, Brittani Colberg 11, Lacey Houston 2, Jeileen Mas 6, Jubilee Sutherland 4, Shauri Lyon 4, Portia McCray 13, Brianna Pittman 3.

WESTERN NEBRASKA

Samantha Sanders 24, Leona Garrett 5, Lisa Durden 4, ChaCha Ofoegbu 5, Idil Ozbayrak 8, Kelsey Doddridge 17, Jessica Aratani 13.

19th-ranked WNCC knock off EWC

  The Western Nebraska Community College men's basketball team didn't want cracking the NJCAA top 20 for the first time since 2005 be a one-week affair as they took on Highway 26 rivals Eastern Wyoming College Tuesday night.

WNCC moved into the national rankings at No. 19 this week and they showed just how potent of an offensive defensive team they can be early on in the contest. The Cougars quickly took control of the sub-region contest, rolling to a 26-7 lead and then held on to drop the Lancers 85-71.

The contest, however, was not one-sided by any means. The Lancers sliced the once-comfortable Cougar lead down to seven points in the second half, 53-46, before the Cougars pushed the lead to the 14-point win.

"You have to give it to EWC, they played really hard. But we made some shots tonight when we needed to make shots to keep that cushion and I am just glad to come out with a win," WNCC coach Russ Beck said.

EWC coach Casey Jones said that the game could have had a different outcome if they wouldn't have spotted the Cougars that 19-point lead. He was proud of the way they played after that 26-7 lead. EWC actually outscored WNCC 64-59 the rest of the contest.

"I could not be more pleased with the last 30 minutes," Jones said. "We were down 26-7 and then we won the rest of the game. I really enjoyed how we competed; we just weren't ready for the start and the emotion of the game that is a rivalry and against a team that is playing well. There are not many teams that we are playing now that are on a roll like they are. Once we took that initial hit, we got it back to a game at halftime and made a run again, getting it into single digits and controlled the second half. It took a lot of energy."

WNCC was just sizzling early on as Du'Vaughn Maxwell and Raul Delgado were playing lights out. Delgado ahd thee 3-pointers during that early run and Maxwell was a force inside. Beck said that Maxwell had one of his best games, finishing with a game-high 29 points and 12 rebounds.

"Maxwell and Marko were really active inside and it is probably Du'Vaughn's high on the year of 29 points and 12 boards," he said. "He gave us a good game. Sebastian also had a good game and Mike Peltz had a great game with seven assists and zero turnovers. Mike does a great job, he runs our team."

After WNCC got up 26-7, the Lancers made a run cutting the deficit to 12 points, 31-19, on a Matt Rosenbaum bucket. WNCC came back on a bucket by Allen Beck and then a trey by Sebastian Suarez to go up 38-26 at halftime.

The second half saw WNCC hold a 53-40 lead until the Lancers sliced the lead to seven points at 53-46 on a Jarett Upchurch bucket. WNCC came back as Beck and Maxwell each hit buckets and then they pushed the lead back to double digits on Delgado's fourth trey of the game at 62-50 and the Cougars held a double digit lead the rest of the way.

Maxwell led all scorers with 29 points. Delgado also chipped in 23 points, including four 3-pointers, while Suarez had 12 points and three 3-pointers.

The Lancers was led by Upchurch with 20 points followed by Rosenbaum with 15 and Ryan Wilson with 13.

The Lancers will be back in action Thursday when they travel to Central Wyoming for a contest, while the No. 19 Cougars will host Casper College on Friday at 7:30 p.m. That contest will be "White Out" night as fans are asked to wear white to the game for Cougar spirit.



EWC (7-11) 26 45 -- 71

WNCC (17-3) 38 47 -- 85

EASTERN WYOMING

Jordan Dick 9, Prescott Williams 2, Jarett Upchurch 20, Ryan Wilson 13, Chad Cottam 9, Slade Spoonhunter 3, Matt Rosenbaum 15.

WESTERN NEBRASKA
Tahir Little 2, Mike Peltz 2, Allen Beck 4, Du'Vaughn Maxwell 29, Mason Smith 4, Raul Delgado 23, Sebastian Suarez 12, Marko Kovacevic 9.

WNCC men, women host Eastern Wyoming College Tuesday night

                Records will mean very little when the Western Nebraska Community College and Eastern Wyoming College basketball teams face each other Tuesday night at Cougar Palace.

                Tuesday’s encounter will have even special meaning over past years as both WNCC and EWC are in the same sub-region, which makes the men’s and women’s contest of vital importance come regional tournament time. Tip-off of the women’s contest is slated for 5:30 p.m. followed by the men’s contest. The contests will on DoubleQ Country, 105.9, as well as video streamed live at www.ihigh.com/wncc.

                The Cougar men, who captured their 16^th win of the season after dropping McCook and Northeast Nebraska over the weekend, are on a quest to capture the South sub-region title and host the Region IX tournament in March.

                WNCC coach Russ Beck said records mean very little when the two Highway 26 schools meet up. WNCC enters with a 16-3 record (4-0 in sub-region play) while EWC is 7-10 overall (2-2 in sub-region play).

                “Anytime WNCC and EWC play each other, both teams will play extremely hard because they both want to win,” he said. “It is a nice rivalry because of the proximity of the schools and the history. We need to play good solid defense and be unselfish on offense and make the extra pass. We have to rebound the ball and be disruptive and play hard and together.”

                Beck said the games between the two squads are always tight. Last year, WNCC won both non-sub-region meetings 74-62 and then earned a squeaker 78-76 at Torrington. Two years ago, the teams split with WNCC winning the first encounter 89-72 before EWC won handedly 66-46.

“The one thing you can expect from them is they will give everything they have,” Beck said. “They will leave nothing in the tank and no lead will be safe. We will have to gut it and claw it out and hopefully come out with a victory.”

                The Cougars, who received votes in last week’s NJCAA national poll, have won seven of their last eight contests, including four straight. WNCC dropped Northeast Nebraska 91-55 on Friday before getting by McCook 93-78 on Saturday.

                The Lancers split a pair of contests this past weekend, falling to McCook 72-65 before defeating Northeast Nebraska 91-88. The Lancers have some quality wins this season, however, dropping Northeastern Colorado twice 67-57 and 81-70, and Gillette College 84-74. Gillette College is in a four-way tie for first place in the north sub-region, while Northeastern Colorado is a half-game behind WNCC.

                WNCC and Northeastern Colorado are the only teams with unbeaten record in sub-region play. NJC is 3-0.

                “We are in control of our own destiny,” he said. “We don’t need anybody else to win or lose in order for us to keep us in a position to host the regional tournament. We just have to keep taking care of our own business, which is nice.”

                The Cougars are leading Region in scoring, averaging a sizzling 95.3 points a game. Gillette College is next in line, averaging 91.4 points a game. WNCC also ranks third nationally in scoring behind Temple College (106 per game) and Cochise College (97.55 per game).

                The women’s contest will also be important for the regional tournament seeding. The Cougar women are 3-1 in conference play and 16-4 overall, while the Lancers are just 3-14 on the season and 0-4 in conference play. EWC needs a win to climb out of the last place in the sub-region.

                Both teams had different outcomes this past weekend. WNCC won two heart-pounding road games, getting by Northeast Nebraska 49-48 before dropping McCook in overtime 63-59. The Lancer women have lost nine straight including falling to McCook on Friday 65-39 and then Northeast Nebraska on Saturday 78-46. EWC’s last win was a 66=63 win over the Nebraska All-stars in the WNCC Thanksgiving Classic.

WNCC men defeat McCook to go to 4-0 in sub-region

                MCCOOK – The Western Nebraska Community College men’s basketball team went to 4-0 in the sub-region as they withstood a 20-minute fire alarm delay in rolling past McCook Community College 93-78 Saturday night at McCook.

                It was the Cougars 16 win of the season and fourth straight. The Cougars have won seven of their last eight contests.

                Saturday’s contest started out tight as both teams were battling tooth and nail until midway through the first half the fire alarms went off and the gym had to be evacuated. WNCC coach Russ Beck said his team went to the bus and it was like having two halftimes.

                “The game was very, very choppy with the many calls, the fire alarm, and the physical play,” Beck said. “But I think we responded and we kept playing. We came out on top because we were less emotional.”

                After the unexpected delay, the cougars opened up the contest by leading 46-34 at halftime and then went up by 20 points, 66-44, on a Du’Vaughn Maxwell bucket. McCook sliced the lead late to 12 points, but never got any closer.

                Beck said it was a physical contest. There were a combined 61 fouls called. WNCC also shot 67 percent from the field.

                “We played good enough to win and there are still a lot of things we can work on like focusing at the end of the game,” he said. “This is a big sub-region win and it keeps us in control of our destiny. But we are focused on our next game against EWC and we want to get better as a team.”

                Four Cougars finished in double figures, led by Raul Delgado’s 22 points. Marko Kovacevic also had a nice game, finishing with 20 points and seven rebounds. Sebastian Suarez also pitched in 19 points, will Maxwell ended up with 10 points.

                WNCC, 16-3, will be back in action Tuesday when they host Eastern Wyoming College in a key sub-region contest beginning at 7:30 p.m. The Lancers picked up their second sub-region win Saturday night by defeating Northeast Community College 91-88 after leading 37-29 at halftime.

WNCC                   46 47 – 93

McCook                34 44 – 78

WNCC

Marko Kovacevic 20, Raul Delgado 22, Sebastian Suarez 19, Mike Peltz 4, Du-Vaughn Maxwell 10, Mason Smith 6, Terrance Motley 4, Tahir Little 1.

WNCC women take down McCook on overtime

  MCCOOK – The Western Nebraska Community College women’s basketball team won a hard-fought overtime victory over McCook Community College Saturday evening 63-59.
                The Cougars, who were on the brink of defeat, got a fade-away jumper with two seconds to play to force overtime and then hit clutch free throws in the extra period to capture their third sub-region win of the season.

WNCC battled from behind for much of the contest, trailing the Indians by eight points in the first half and by as many as six points with a minute to play in the second quarter. Each time, though, the Cougars found a way to come back.

Jessica Aratani nailed two free throws at the end of the first half to give the Cougars a 30-29 lead at halftime. The second half was a barnburner as McCook held a 53-47 lead with under three minutes to play. The Cougars battled back as Idil Ozbayrak nailed a 3-pointer and then she hit 2 of 4 four free throws to cut the lead to 53-52 before ChaCha Ofoegbu tied the contest with a free throw.

McCook came back with a bucket to go up 55-53 with 16 seconds to play. WNCC had a chance to tie the contest but two missed free throws were off. McCook, however, turned the ball over and Doddridge hit the tying shot.

In the extra period, McCook drew first blood with a 3-pointer. Ozbayrak and Samantha Sanders answered right back with back-to-back 3-pointers for a 61-58 lead. WNCC went up 63-61 after Sanders hit two free throws. McCook had chances, but a turnover and a missed shot gave WNCC the victory.

WNCC had four players in double figures. Doddridge led the way with 19 points followed by Ozbayrak with 13 points. Ofoegbu and Sanders each collected 10 points each.

WNCC moved to 16-4 on the season but more importantly went to 3-1 in the sub-region while McCook fell to 12-6 and 1-2 in the sub-region.

The Cougars will next be in action Tuesday when they host Eastern Wyoming College in a sub-region contest starting at 5:30 p.m.

WNCC (16-4)                      30 25 8 – 63
McCook (12-6)                  29 26 4 – 59
WNCC
Idil Ozbayrak 13, Kelsey Doddridge 19, ChaCha Ofoegbu 10, Samantha Sanders 10, Lisa Durden 2, Jessica Aratani 4, Leona Garrett 5.

WNCC men, women take down Northeast Nebraska

        The Western Nebraska Community College men’s and women’s basketball teams picked up wins over Northeast Community College in different fashions.

       The Cougar women received two late free throws from Jessica Aratani in registering a 49-48 win. The men, on the other hand, rolled to a 52-3 halftime lead and coasted to the 91-55 sub-region win.
       The Cougar womam held a 23-17 halftime lead and were up by six points late in the contest before Northeast took a 48-47 lead with 1:33 to play.
       WNCC’s defense stayed strong in shutting down the Hawks in getting the win.
Aratani had a big night, finishing with 15 points and eight rebounds, while ChaCha Ofoegbu had 10 points and nine rebounds.
       Kelsey Doddridge also finished with 11 points, while Idil Ozbayrak had 12 rebounds.
       The men’s contest was all WNCC as the Cougars went to 3-0 in the sub-region with the lopsided win.
       The Cougars shot 47 percent from the field and were 52 percent from the 3-point area in posting their 15^th win of the season.
       “I liked our defensive effort and we made the extra pass tonight,” WNCC coach Russ Beck said. “We now need a good game tomorrow [Saturday] at McCook.”
       The Cougars placed four players in double figures, led by Sebastian Suarez with 24 points, including four 3-pointers and eight rebounds.
      Also hitting for double figures was Raul Delgado with 15 points, Marko Kovecevic with 12 points and nine rebounds, and Mason Smith with 10 points.
     Mike Peltz finished the game with just five ponts, but had four assists and four steals. Du’Vaughn Maxwell also pulled down 10 rebounds to go with his five points.
     Both WNCC teams will be in action Saturday night when they travel to McCook for sub-region tilts before returning home for a sub-region, Highway 26 encounter with Eastern Wyoming College on Tuesday.

Women’s Game

WNCC 23 26 – 49
NE Nebraska 17 31 – 48

WNCC

Kelsey Doddridge 11, ChaCha Ofoegbu 10, Jessica Aratani 15, Lisa Durden 5, Leona Garrett 2, Jasmine Shaffer 2, Samantha Sanders 4.

Men’s Game

WNCC 52 39 – 91
NE Nebraska 32 23 – 55

WNCC

Sebastian Suarez 24, Raul Delgado 15, Mason Smith 10, Marko Kovacevic 12, Tahir Little 7, Mike Peltz 5, Du’Vaughn Maxwell 5, Allen Beck 4, Brady Mason 4, Terramce Motley 4, Marcus Johnson 1.

Gering's Smith, Marquez headed to play baseball at WNCC

               Gering's Zach Smith and Nate Marquez didn't have to look far to continue playing in college. The two Bulldog standouts will be playing baseball for Mike Jones at Western Nebraska Community College next season.

               Smith, who signed a letter of intent Thursday afternoon, fall, said it is a relief that the decision is not lifted from his shoulders.

               "This is a lot of pressure released in going through the recruiting process," Smith said. "I am happy with my choice to be able to play baseball here and play for Coach Jones. Hopefully, I can come in and contribute right away in working hard and getting the time in that I need to do to produce and hopefully get to the next level and step in right away and contribute."

               As for Marquez, who committed to play baseball for the Cougars on Thursday, said the biggest reason he elected to stay home was because of Coach Mike Jones, who has coached him in American Legion in the summer.

               "I choose WNCC because I thought this was a great way to start my baseball career and I have a good relationship with the coach," Marquez said. "i have been playing for them [Gering coaching staff] and they are good coaches. They know how to push us and make us play. I just want to carry that on to the next level."

               Both players are looking to get even better when they enroll at WNCC in the fall. Jones said that Smith is projected to see action at third base and pitcher, while Marquez will see action in the outfield.

               "Zach brings a lot of things to our program. You are talking about a guy that is very athletic and can play multiple positions," Jones said. "Getting a guy that can pitch, play the infield, and if we have to we can move him to the outfield and you don't get that every day. He is just very athletic. As a coach, it is great; we have a lot of options. i am curious to see what happens to him in the next two years. Does he become a Division I third baseman or a Division I pitcher. it will be fun working with him.

               "As for Nate, he brings two different things. At Gering for the Legion team, he brings the lead-off hitter mentality that can run and is real aggressive on the bases. He tracks down everything in the outfield. There were multiple compliments at the state tournament a year ago about when a ball is hit to centerfield, Nate was going to go and catch it. Now when he goes to the college level it will be different. He will have to grow and add some strength. Defensively he is ready but he has to get better offensively."

               Jones said that it is neat that he keeps coaching players that he watched grow up in the valley.

               "It is really cool for me now that these guys are graduating high school and coming into my program," he said. "I remember when Nate was just a little guy and he would come to camps in the summer. I have seen him develop all these years. it is nice now to bring in a guy that I have seen grow and step into our program."

               Smith, however, had the biggest decision in colleges as he had options playing other sports. He received football interest from Doane and Concordia, but decided that he wanted to play his favorite sport in college -- baseball. Football, he said, was third on his list of favorite sports ranking behind baseball and basketball.

               "Baseball just fell in place with my goals to carry on and I could pass up playing for Coach Jones since he has been bugging me for three years know," he said. "Baseball would have to be favorite sport and basketball is a close second. i have been playing baseball for a long time. I just love the game and I love the atmosphere of being on the field and just playing."

               Both players have dreams of trying to get to the next level and felt WNCC was a perfect stepping stone.

               "My dream is to play Division I baseball and I felt that Coach Jones and the coaching staff can provide that to me of getting to the next level," Smith said. "However, I haven't thought that far ahead."

               Marquez, who also plays basketball and soccer at Gering, is happy that he gets to continue playing a sport that he played since T-ball.

               "I would say so this was an easy decision for me because of the way I feel about baseball," he said. "I don't feel that same way about any other sport. it was an easy decision for me. i pretty much want to get better so I can go to the next level."
               Both players have one more season on the Gering American Legion team and they say the sky is the limit for this year's team.

               "Our goal is to win a state championship," Smith said. "We should put in the time and effort. We have the right materials as a team to definitely contend for a state championship."

              

Gering's Morgan Broussard will play volleyball for WNCC

   It didn’t take Morgan Broussard long to realize how much she was going to miss volleyball after the Gering team was eliminated at the state tournament.

“I wasn’t expecting playing sports in college because I was thinking I needed a break. It is easy to say that when you are so involved but when it is over, it is over. I miss it and I had to keep going,” Broussard said. “It really hit me after we got done playing [at state] and I went with my parents to watch some other games and since I was done and just watching, I was thinking I will never be able to do this again. So, I texted Coach Gi saying I miss it and I want to play. I am ready for the challenge. It will not be easy but that is part of the job.”

Broussard didn’t have to go far to find a school that wanted her talents on the volleyball court as she officially choose Western Nebraska Community College to continue her playing days.

“I knew after my volleyball career was over, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity of playing with such an elite program,” she said. “It should be a great experience. We have the same mentality and that is to win. I am looking forward to extending my volleyball career with the Cougars.”

Broussard is following in the footsteps of her cousin, Sierra Schmidt, who played for the Cougars and won a national championship in 2010. She is hoping to accomplish the same things that Sierra achieved.

“Sierra went thought the program and just seeing [what she did] is just cool that you get a chance to be on a national championship team. It will be a great experience for me,” Broussard said. “Also, just seeing all the pictures on Facebook of them at nationals is something I would love to have that experience and be with all the coaches and girls. It will be a great time.”

WNCC coach Giovana Melo said Broussard will be a setter for the Cougars next season and is excited to get someone of her athletic ability.

“I love the fact she is extremely competitive,” Melo said. “She is very athletic. I told her that it is great when you have an athlete that can play many sports and I am happy that she likes volleyball enough to come play for us. I think she brings a lot. She has a really fun personality and she gets along with the girls. She will fit perfectly in with our program.”

Broussard was a 3-year starter for the Bulldogs in helping them to back-to-back district championships. Broussard was all-conference and honorable mention all-state. Broussard finished her season with 57 aces, 510 set assists, 121 solo blocks, 260 kills, and 348 digs.

Gering coach Craig Schadwinkel said it is a perfect fit for Broussard and WNCC.

“Coach Gi, I wish you the best with one of our Gering products,” Schadwinkel said. “I don’t think you could have found a better person or athlete to join your program. It is exciting that we get to have her around for two more years.”

Broussard said it wasn’t hard to choose volleyball over her other two high school sports of basketball and track and field.

“I like the other sports, but I don’t have the love for basketball and track like I do for volleyball,” she said. “That is what made it easier because I love the game so much. I have been around it all my life. My sister [Dusty] played for Coach Schadwinkel at Lake Minatare when I was 2. I was practically born with a volleyball in my hand.”

The hardest part Broussard will face next year is not playing alongside her friends. But, she is ready to make new friends and start a new chapter in her life.

“Our group of girls has been together for so long,” she said. “I have been around this game my whole life and it will be hard to let it go with this group of girls. But you have to set a new chapter in your story so that is what I am planning on doing.”

Delgado, Suarez combine on 10 3-pointers in win over Trinidad State

                Raul Delgado and Sebastian Suarez combined for 10 3-pointers and 48 points and the Western Nebraska Community College men's basketball team went 2-0 in the South Subregion with an 107-86 win over Trinidad State Junior College Saturday afternoon at Cougar Palace.

               Delgado and Suarez each finished with five 3-pointers and the Cougars connected on 67 percent of their shots, including 12 of 19 shooting from beyond the arc. Suarez paced all scorers with 25 points, while Delgado pitched in 23 points.

               "We wanted to get both these games at home and now the challenge is for us to go and get two wins on the road," WNCC coach Russ Beck said. "You know, good teams win at home and great teams, championship caliber teams, win on the road. So, we are trying to focus on Northeast Nebraska and McCook next weekend."

               Saturday's contest was another performance that the Cougars excelled on both ends of the court. But, itwasn't until the second half that the Cougars started to open up the contest and it didn't take much motivation for WNCC to pick up the intensity.

               "The boys had a lot of motivation in the second half," Beck said. "That hard foul on Raul when he hit the floor was the critical junction for us. i walked into the locker room and I said do I need to motivate you or is that motivation enough for you to come out and play hard the second half. We talked about a few adjustments that we wanted to make and we came out and played hard. We really wanted this win."

               The Cougars led 51-39 at halftime, but it was the final play of the half that pushed the Cougars intensity to a new level after Delgado was sent to the floor after a hard foul. Delgado managed to get up and sank two free throws, but the play was enough to awaken the Cougars.

               Trinidad State scored the first point of the second half on a free throw, but after that, WNCC went on a 10-0 run that was highlighted by six points from Marko Kovacevic and a 3-pointer from Mason Smith for a 61-40 lead. Moments later, Du'Vaughn Maxwell put up another highlight as he made a behind his head pass to Kovacevic. That pass and dunk started another 9-0 run that saw the Cougars go up 73-49.

               Trinidad cut the lead to 85-69, but that was when the Cougars went on a 18-4 run that saw Suarez nail three 3-pointers and Maxwell slam home two electrifying dunks for a 103-73 lead.

               What pleased Beck the most about the win was the balanced scoring and the way they shared the ball. WNCC finished with 27 assists, led by Mike Peltz with 11.

               "It was great to see the confidence that Sebastian Suarez and Raul Delgado are shooting the ball," Beck said. "We also had pretty balanced scoring with 25, 23, 19 and 10 points. The key stat of the night is that we had 27 assists and only 11 turnovrs. We are really being unselfish in finding the open man and shooting when we need to."

               Besides the 48 points from Suarez and Delgado, Kovacevic  had 19 points and six rebounds, while Terrance Motley finished with 10 points and seven rebounds. Maxwell also finished with nine points, five rebounds and three assists, while Peltz and Tahir Little each had seven points.

               WNCC, 14-3, will look to go 4-0 in the subregion with road contests this weekend at Northeast Community College and McCook Community College.

               "This is a long road trip and the last two years we have gone to Northeast Nebraska and lost by one point at the buzzer. The first year for me was a tip in after I left our best rebounder at home because he was late to the bus. The second year we had a shot at the buzzer and missed. If we work hard enough we are hoping to get a win. Then McCook is always a tough place to play because it is so closed in. They will play hard and I was impressed with their team when they played against CEU, so we have a tremendous challenge for us to go out and get two wins on the road."

Trinidad (5-10)                   39 47 -- 86

WNCC (14-3)                     51 56 -- 107

TRINIDAD
Phil Watts 8, J'My Holloway 13, McArthur Gaines 2, Devonte Malcolm 22, Bryant Evans 20, Tyrell Williams 2, Juhreece Thompson 9, Devonte Upson 8, Terrence Smith 6.

WNCC
Tahir Little 7, Mike Peltz 7, Du-Vaughn Maxwell 9, Mason Smith 5, Raul Delgado 23, Sebastian Suarez 25, Marko Kovacevic 19, Terrance Motley 10, Marcus Johnson 2.