[12-6-2012] The
Western Nebraska Community College women’s basketball team blistered the nets
for 12 2-pointers and the No. 6-ranked Cougars ran past Colby Community College
94-47 in the first day of the Holiday Classic at Cougar Palace on Thursday.
The
win pushed the Cougars to 12-0. It was also the third straight game where the
Cougars scored 90 or more points.
Jessica
Aratani, who led the Cougars with 14 points along with Jess Samorodova, said
they played well offensively.
“Our
offense was really on and we came out in the second half and played tough
defense, holding them under 50 points, so we are really happy with that,” the
sophomore from Morrill said. “We are always happy when our offense is working
right. I think our defense creates our offense and we are really known for our
defense and that is what helps us winning all these games.”
WNCC
had the hot hand shooting in the first half especially from beyond the arc. The
Cougars were 9 of 15 from the 3-point line for 60 percent and shot 52 percent
from the field. Mikayla Brower and Kelsey Doddridge each buried three
3-pointers in the opening half, while Shalisa Moffit had two treys.
A
big key for the Cougars’ hot shooting was ball movement. The Cougars finished
with 31 assists in the contest and the quick passing opened up shooters from
the outside.
“Coach
Harnish always preaches to us to not be selfish and play as a team,” Aratani
said. “That is what we have on the team is good team chemistry and that is what
is going to take us far in the season.”
The
way the team is playing right know both offensively and defensively is
definitely giving the players some momentum. Aratani said while it is hard to
stay up while winning by 30 points, the key is to keep playing hard as they
enter the second semester with key sub-region games.
“Coach
Harnish keeps telling it is hard to stay motivated when we are winning big, but
with all the success we are having, it will keep motivating us,” she said. “We
are going to start coming into the more difficult part of our season next
semester and we should be ready.”
The
Cougars were definitely ready on Thursday. WNCC
trailed just once in the contest as Colby’s Linda Pagrode scored the opening
bucket. After that, it was all Cougars as WNCC jumped out to a 22-4 lead behind
nine points from Samorodova, two treys from Moffit and a 3-pointer by Brower.
WNCC
pushed the lead to 30-7 before both teams started to trade buckets left and
right. The Cougars led 53-32 at halftime.
The
Cougars picked up their defense in the second half, outscoring the Trojans 25-2
in the first nine minutes of the game to lead 78-34 for the victory.
WNCC
had four players in double figures. Besides Samorodova and Aratani’s 14 points,
Moffit and Doddridge each finished with 11 points. Brower and Gritt Ryder each
finished with nine points each.
Moffit
dished out seven assists, while Ryder had six and Brower four. The Cougars also
generated 26 Colby turnovers, while the Cougars turned the ball over just eight
times.
WNCC
will be back in action Friday in the second day of the Holiday Classic, facing
the Hastings College junior varsity at 5 p.m. The opening game at 3 p.m. will
have Colby against the Air Force Prep, while the nightcap will have the WNCC
Cougar men taking on Northwest Kansas Technical College at 7 p.m.
Colby 32
15 – 47
WNCC (12-0) 53
41 – 94
COLBY
Liene Liepina 9, Agnese Aramina 10, Shantydra Arnold 7,
Kytiana Seals 4, Ashlon Gaines 4, Linda Pagrode 10, Desiree Jones 1, Haley
Dinkel 2.
WNCC
Mikayla Brower 9, Laurin Rivera 5, Kelsey Doddridge 11,
Gritt Ryder 9, Shalisa Moffit 11, Maurissa Ortega 4, Simone Evans 5, Michelle
Brassard 5, Alyssa Yates 4, Ashley Stevens 3, Jessica Aratani 14, Jess
Samorodova 14.
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