Survivor star featured speaker at April 26 Athletic Banquet

When Chad Crittenden participated in the CBS hit television show Survivor: Vanuatu in 2004, he shocked his tribe members by revealing he had an artificial leg. Crittenden survived until the ninth tribal council on the hit television show.

On April 26, Crittenden will share his story of the “Will to Survive” during the Western Nebraska Community College Athletic Banquet. The banquet will be held at Cougar Palace beginning at 5 p.m. Tickets are $15 each and includes a meal of Parmesan Chicken or Hawaiian Pork.

WNCC Athletic Director Jennifer Pedersen said it should be an informative evening. “Chad as many components he can offer,” Pedersen said. “He can speak to the general community college student, he can of his personal adversity and the power he had to overcome challenges, and then he can speak to athletes on how he prepared mentally and physically for the challenges of Survivor.”

Crittenden’s story of courage begins at an early age where he begin his love of sports, while attending Half Moon Bay High in California, where he participated in many sporting activities such as soccer, tennis, bowling, fishing, running and mountain biking.

After high school, Crittenden worked for a community college in California before pursing studies at the University of California at Davis majoring in International Relations. Upon graduation, Crittenden worked summer daycare jobs, working after-school tutoring programs, heading up a bilingual tutoring program in San Jose, and later as a second-grade teacher in a bilingual second grade.

Crittenden then taught two years in San Salvador, El Salvador. He then returned to the states and settled in the San Francisco area. About two years before Survivor: Vanuatu, Crittenden went to the doctor to have a lump on the bottom of his foot removed. As it turned out it was a cancerous tumor – Synovial Sarcoma – and amputation was necessary just below the knee.

Nine months after the surgery, he completed a triathlon and then earned a chance to compete on Survivor in 2004. Crittenden lasted until the ninth tribal council before he was voted off the island.

“We asked Chad to come to the WNCC campus to discuss a person’s ability to succeed in their endeavors even when obstacles get in their way,” Pedersen said. “As an institution, we expect a high level of commitment from our student-athletes, and occasionally as coaches, we forget that life is happening to the students as they play for us. I hope Chad will motivate the student-athletes to find the inner part of themselves that will help them to push towards success in all aspects of their lives.”

Besides Crittenden’s “Will to Survive” presentation, Pedersen said individual participation awards for all athletes will be handed out. Also team most valuable player and sportsmanship honors will presented, as well as male and female athlete of the year and Cougar award winners. A Patron of the year award will also be presented.

Crittenden will also speak to WNCC students earlier in the day at 11 a.m. Tickets for the evening event can be purchased at the WNCC athletic office. Reservations Reservations must be made by April 17. For more information on the event, individuals can call the athletic office at 308-635-6151.

WNCC baseball goes 1-3 at spring break trip

PHOENIX, Ariz. – The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team came out with hitting authority on Sunday, but only managed a split of games against Ft. Scott Community College and Central Arizona College.

WNCC lost a heartbreaker to Ft. Scott 10-9, giving up six runs in the seventh inning for the loss. The Cougars bounced back in the second game on Sunday earning a 9-6 9-inning win against Central Arizona College.

WNCC’s strong hitting on Sunday didn’t last on Monday as the Cougars fell 5-2 to Glendale Community College. The Cougars Chris Cuadra pitched well despite getting the win.

“We played a lot better then the score indicated,” WNCC coach Mike Jones said. “We hit a lot of ball hard, but they just caught them. That is a part of baseball.”

Cuadra was cruising through six innings before Glendale scored four runs in the seventh inning to gain the 9-inning win. WNCC managed just three hits in the contest, a double by Eneldis Vazquez, and singles by Gilbert Gonzalez and Marco Moreno.

WNCC jumped out to a 2-1 lead after three innings. In the second, Vazquez walked and advanced on a hit by Jay C Perez. Moreno followed with a grounder to score Vazquez.
The Cougars added another run in the third as Travis Lindhorst reached base on an error. After Lindhorst stole second, the Gering High graduate scored on a Martinez hit that the shortstop booted.

WNCC failed to score the rest of the game as Glendale scored four runs in the seventh inning. Glendale finished with nine hits. Cuadra took the loss. “Chris pitched really well, even in the seventh inning,” Jones said.

In Sunday’s contests, The Cougars controlled Ft. Scott holding a 9-4 lead into the seventh inning. Greg Crowe pitched well, going five innings and giving up four runs. Dan Bauer, who had been sensational as the closer in previous games, took the loss giving up six runs in the final inning.
WNCC hit the ball with authority, blasting 13 hits, including five doubles. Gonzalez led the team with a 3-for-4 performance, including three RBIs and two runs scored. Moreina and Vazquez each went 2-for-4 with a double. Also collecting doubles were Lindhorst, Perez and Lindhorst.

Hook and Lindhorst added two RBIs, while Perez had three runs scored. “We should have won,” Jones said. “We were cruising and in complete control. They then had enough hits and to come back in the game.”

It didn’t take long for the Cougars to put the opening game on Sunday behind them. Against Central Arizona, WNCC pounded out 12 hits and took control of the game early scoring five first inning runs.

WNCC received a run-scoring single to score Martinez to open the game. Perez followed with a double that scored Pedro Suarez and Stewart. Cook finished off the scoring with a single that scored Perez and Gonzalez for the 5-0 lead.

WNCC added a single run in the second and two runs in the third, while allowing Central Arizona just three runs in the second to hold an 8-3 lead. In the second,

The came stayed that way until the seventh when WNCC scored one run on back-to-back doubles by Perez and Gonzalez. Central Arizona tried to come back, but was shut down.
Todd Stachura picked up the win going 8 1/3 innings, while striking out four.

Offensively, Perez and Martinez each went 2-for-3. Perez continued his torrid hitting with two doubles and three runs scored. Cook finished the game 2-for-4, while Gonzalez was 1-for-3.

The Cougars will continue their Spring Break trip with a 9-inning contest against Seward County Community College today at 11 a.m. Vazquez will get the nod on the mound today. “They have a good club,” Jones said. “They have a couple good left-handers and I am sure we will see one of them. We will have to get good pitching. We are down to starting our bullpen guys.

Sunday Games
Ft. Scott 101 020 6 – 10 8 1
WNCC 010 242 09 13 3
LP – Bauer; 2B – Vazquez, Moreno, Hook, Lindhorst, Perez.

WNCC 512 000 100 – 9 12 0
Central Arizona 030 000 201 – 6 9 1
WP – Stachura; 2B – Perez 2.

Monday’s Games
WNCC 011 000 000 – 2 3 0
Glendale 001 000 40x – 8 9 2
LP – Cuadra; 2B – Vazquez.

WNCC softball wins 11th straight

PHOENIX, Ariz. – The Western Nebraska Community College softball team continues to excel offensively, pounding out 30 hits and scoring 27 runs in claiming a doubleheader from Gateway Community College Monday in the first day of their Spring Break trip in Arizona.

The Cougars have now won 11 straight games, running their record to 16-7 on the season.

“They are hitting the ball really well and defense as been solid,” WNCC coach Maria Winn-Ratliff said. “Overall, this is a team that sticks together and supports each other.”

Monday, the Cougars used big innings to take control of both contests. In the opener, WNCC grabbed a 2-0 lead in the third inning and then scored nine runs in the fourth to grab an 11-0 lead.

The team pounded out 13 hits in the contests. Jessie McNabb continued her sizzling hitting going 3-for-3 with four RBIs and two doubles. Kara Ryman and Amanda Hensley each went 2-for-4 in the opener. Ryman continued her extra-base hitting with two doubles, while Hensley also belted two doubles.

Natasha Dypchey picked up the win pitching five strong innings, while striking out five and walking two.

The second game was a wild affair. WNCC scored eight runs in the first inning on five walks, two hits-batsman and four hits. The big hit the inning was a McNabb double.

Gateway, though, came right back taking a 9-8 lead through three innings with five runs in the first, three in the second and a single run in the third.

WNCC responded with five runs in the fifth, two in the sixth and one in the seventh to earn the slugfest victory. The two teams combined for 30 hits and 29 runs in the contest.

Hensley and McNabb were perfect in the game, going 3-for-3. Hensley also had three runs scored and two RBIs, while McNabb had three runs scored, four RBIs and a double.

Ryman continued her hitting with a 3-for-4 performance, including a double, two runs scored and four RBIs.

Also picking up multi-hits were Jessica Ventoza, Ashley Eichelberger and Whittany Foster. Amanda Torimaru also chipped in a double.

Dypchey picked up the win coming in relief of Jessica Pexton in the second inning. Dypchey struck out two in the win.

Winn-Ratliff was pleased with the team’s hitting, which is among the top 10 in the nation. “The first game we swung the bats really well,” she said. “In the beginning of the second game we struggled a bit and it took us until the fifth inning to get our bats going.”

WNCC will continue the Spring Break trip with a doubleheader against Chandler-Gilbert this afternoon in Phoenix.

First Game
WNCC 002 90 – 11 13
Gateway 000 03 – 3 6
WP – Dypchey; 2B – McNabb 2, Ryman 2, Hensley 2.

Second Game
WNCC 800 052 1 – 16 17
Gateway 531 020 2 – 13 13
WP – Dypchey; 2B -- McNabb, Ryman, Torimaru.

WNCC women's basketball makes regional championship final

Submitted By ALEX HELMBRECHT, Star-Herald Sports Reporter
When viewing this story, be sure to check out the Star-Herald
at the above link for more updated local sports stories and news each day

The Western Nebraska Community College women's basketball team put themselves in a familiar position thanks to a 75-48 win over Miles City Community College during the semifinal round of the Region IX Women's Basketball Tournament in Casper, Wyo. on Tuesday

With the win, WNCC earns the right to play tourney host Casper today at 6 p.m. to decide the Region IX champ, as well as a spot in the women's national tournament later this month in Salina, Kan. Casper defeated Northeastern Junior College 61-56 in the other semifinal on Tuesday.

Against Miles City, the Cougars' defense was once again stellar as they limited the Pioneers to just 38 total shot attempts, while the Cougars hit 31 of 65.

"I thought we defended well all night long and we used a full-court press all night long that caused a lot of problems for them," WNCC coach Dave Harnish said. "I think they had 25 or 26 turnovers and we came out and made some threes early and we got them out of their zone. So that changed the tempo and we were able to take advantage of that."

WNCC jumped out to a quick 18-8 lead and didn't look back the rest of the game as the Cougars didn't let Miles City get closer than 10 points the rest of the way. At halftime, the Cougars led 48-26.

"We played for 40 minutes and we came out of the game really well. We jumped out on them early and certainly the 20-point lead at halftime helped a bunch," Harnish said. "We just kind of stayed around a 20-25-point lead all night and I'm certainly pleased about the effort."

Four Cougars finished in double figures, led by Tiara Scott's 15 points. She also had five rebounds. Also for WNCC, Chelsea Lyles finished with 13 points and four boards; Kiki Taylor had 10 points, five assists and three steals; and Allison Cheney scored 10 points and added three steals. Both Cheney and Taylor each added two treys.

As a team, the Cougars hit 8 of 21 3-point attempts and they were a perfect 5 of 5 from the free-throw line.

Harnish was pleased to see his team play one of its most complete games during the most crucial point of the season.

"We've had a few games after the first semester where we've played really well, but we've done better here," he said. "We played well during the second half last night and we carried that on [Tuesday]. Playing three games has really helped us with our rhythm and hopefully we can carry that on against Casper."

Casper, the No. 1 seed in the tournament, split a pair of games with WNCC during the regular season. Casper defeated WNCC 58-53 on Jan. 27 to earn the right to host the Region IX tourney, but WNCC bounced back with a 55-51 win over the Thunderbirds on Feb. 10.

Today, Harnish said the Cougars need to push the tempo of the game in order to have success.

"Casper really likes playing a half-court game and the way we played defensively tonight if we can do that [today] we can get into a faster tempo game to our speed and that's going to be key," he said. "

They were able to slow down our other two games and I think they were in the 50s. So we'd like to get the game into the 60s or 70s and that's going to be a key for us. We need to defend well and get steals because they'll lead to fast breaks to get into a quicker game."

WNCC (27-1) 48 27 - 75
Miles City 26 22 - 48

WESTERN NEBRASKA
Kiki Taylor 10, Emma Beddome 7, Tiara Scott 15, Lesley Olson 6, Victoria Martin 4, Alison Cheney 10, Shiraya Soto 6, Aurelie Derenoncourt 4, Chelsea Lyles 13.

Cougar baseball sweeps Otero

WNCC's Marco Moreno slides into home plate during their home game against Colby on Sunday.

Some baseball players take in the Cougar home-opener on Sunday against Colby. The team dropped both games.

Submitted By Jeremy Woznick, Star-Herald Sports Reporter
When viewing this story, be sure to check out the Star-Herald
at the above link for more updated local sports stories and news each day

The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team snapped a five-game losing skid Tuesday by sweeping a doubleheader from Otero Junior College in Pueblo, Colo. WNCC, now 3-9 on the season, earned a 4-3 win in game one before blowing past the Rattlers 13-0 in game two.

The results didn't count toward either team's regional record as WNCC was scheduled to take on the Air Force Junior Varsity. Despite the opponent change, WNCC coach Mike Jones was pleased with the outcome.

"It definitely was a good day for us," Jones said. "We played much better today. Our pitchers threw a lot of strikes and we played really good defense."

Defensively, the Cougars didn't commit a single error in either game Tuesday.
In game one, WNCC scored a pair of runs in the third inning and added two more in the sixth.

Pedro Suarez's single plated both runs in the third before Marco Moreno drove in a run in the sixth with a triple. Moreno went on to score WNCC's final run.

Chris Hook paced WNCC at the plate in the game by going 2-for-3 with one run scored.
Greg Crowe earned the win on the mound. Crowe scattered four hits and allowed just two runs in five innings of work. He also struck out four. Dan Bauer collected his first save of the season out of the bullpen.

Game two proved to be much more one-sided in the Cougars' favor. After moving out to a 3-0 lead after two innings, WNCC scored four runs in the sixth before piling on six more in the seventh in earning the 13-0 win.

The Cougars finished the game with 14 hits. Suarez was one of four Cougars that had multi-hits in the contest. The sophomore from Miami went 4-for-5 with two doubles and three runs batted in. Stewart and Eneldis Vazquez each finished with three hits and Gilbert Gonzalez added two, including a double. Stewart had two doubles and four runs batted in and Vazquez tallied a double and two runs batted in.

A number of pitchers saw action on the mound for WNCC in the game. Chadron High School graduate Eric Bissonette earned the win. He allowed only one hit in two innings of work.

WNCC's next action is scheduled for Saturday when the Cougars open a key four-game series at Lamar Community College.

Game 1
WNCC 002 002 0 - 4 5 0
Otero 000 021 0 - 3 5 2
WP - Greg Crowe (1-1). 3B - Marco Moreno.

Game 2
WNCC (3-9) 210 004 6 - 13 14 0
Otero 000 000 0 - 0 4 1
WP - Eric Bissonette (1-0). 2B - Pedro Suarez (2), Richie Stewart (2), Gilbert Gonzalez, Eneldis Vazquez.

Cougar men's basketball team falls two points short against Northwest to end season

Cougar Palace went from cheers to tears in a heartbeat Monday night during the Men’s Region IX Tournament between Western Nebraska Community College and Northwest College.

The Cougars, down by five points with 14 seconds to play, nearly pulled off the comeback of the century.

It didn’t happen as the faces of Chance Wallesen and Carl Buck, who sat on the Cougar Palace floor with their heads down, told the story. WNCC fell in a gutsy comeback attempt to the Trappers 70-68.

Northwest lives another day to play No. 4 Northeastern Junior College at 7 p.m. at Cougar Palace. Northeastern earned the berth with a 75-48 win over Miles Community College. The other semi-final has North Platte Community College facing Casper College at 5 p.m. North Platte defeated Sheridan College in overtime 79-75 while Casper withstood Lamar Community College 67-63.

“It was a great college basketball game and this is what the regional tournament is all about,” WNCC coach John Jungers said after the emotional loss. “Unfortunately, we don’t get to play anymore. That is going to be very difficult. My hats off to Northwest Wyoming, I think they have an excellent team.”

What makes the game even harder to swallow for the Cougars is their emotional comeback fell inches short. Jungers congratulated Northwest on the hard fought win, and he had nothing but praise to hand out to his players.

“You have to give credit to Northwest Wyoming, they played very well. They made all right adjustments,” he said. “I have never been prouder of these guys then I am right now. They showed tremendous character tonight. Ricardo’s willingness to play through his pain, and then Chance coming of the bench and knocking down a big shot; I am just very proud of their character and their performance. Never once did they quit.”

And, WNCC never quit despite Northwest’s torrid shooting from beyond the arc where they shot 48 percent and buried 13 3-pointers. The big shot for the Trappers came from Brett Sommerville, who buried an NBA 3-pointer with the shot clock running out. That shot, with 1:15 to play, put Northwest up by five, 70-65.

At that moment, the Cougars could have packed it in as several of the other Region IX teams in attendance, as well as some fans, headed for the doors. But, the Cougar players never lost sight of a comeback and kept battling.

WNCC’s never-give-up comeback attempt started with 39.6 seconds left as Carl Buck got a steal and then was fouled. Buck missed the front end of the one-and-one, but got the rebound and missed the putback.

The Cougars then started to foul, but with only three team fouls chalked up on their side, they had to make quick work to send the Trappers to the charity stripe. Finally, with 14.6 seconds to play, Northwest’s Milan Stanojevic went to the free throw line. Stanojevic, who made three 3-pointers on the night, missed the free throw and WNCC to the rebound.

Chance Wallesen, who just came off the bench, pulled up and hit a 3-pointer with 7.7 seconds cutting the deficit to 70-68. WNCC immediately called a timeout. On the insuing imbounds play, the Trappers through it down the court and the Cougars knocked it out of bounds giving the ball to Northwest under the Trappers basket,

WNCC’s defense was solid, causing Northwest to turn the ball over on a five second violation. The Cougars called timeout out to setup the final game-tying or winning play. Wallesen brought the ball up the court and his pass to an open Cougar in the paint was stolen as the shot clock went off singling the end of the Cougar’s season.

Northwest advances to the semi-finals by only giving up the lead twice in the game at 53-51 on a Matthew Akins offensive rebound, and 65-55 on a Ricardo De Bem bucket. But, it was the Trappers shooting, especially from the 3-point area that proved beneficial as Nate Miller nailed four treys and Stanojevic added three.

The Trappers also placed four players in double-figures. Miller and D0vydes Retkus each had 14 points, followed by Stanojevic with 13 and Sommerville with 10.

WNCC, though, was just as sizzling from the field shooting 43 percent from the field and the 3-point area. The Cougars buried nine 3-pointers, led by CJ Hampton with four, Erik Smith with three and Wallesen with two.

Hampton led the Cougars with 18. Other Cougars with double-digit nights included Akins with 16 and Smith with 13. Akins also had 12 rebounds.

WNCC softball sweeps Lamar

The Western Nebraska Community College softball team will be known as the cardiac kids after their performance Sunday against Lamar Community College in their home opener.

The Cougars swept Lamar in three game 8-7 in eight innings, and then 8-7 and 10-2 to run their record to 10-7 and 6-2 in league play.

“I thought we played really well. We came together as a team when we were down,” freshman Kara Ryman said. “We did well offensively when we needed to. Our team motto is never give up.”

There were several heroes on the day, especially in the first two games, which counted in regional play where the Cougars used some late inning magic to pick up the win.

One of the stars of the day was pitcher Natasha Dypchey, who collected all three wins. The freshman from British Colombia pitched 15 2/3 innings giving up 15 hits and striking out 11.

Jessica Ventoza also came through at the plate, going 9-of-12 with three doubles, four RBIs and four runs scored. Also standing out was Ryman, who went 6-of-12 with three doubles, five runs scored and two RBIs.

Amanda Torimaru also stepped up. Torimaru finished with a triple, double, two singles, two runs scored and three RBIs.

Ryman said all three wins were definitely a team effort.

“I thought it was nice that we all could fight back together and win as a team. No one was left out and it all three wins was a team win.,” she said. “When we were down with two outs, one girl would get the rally going and we kept on going and fighting back. Our hitting was amazing and it kept us alive the entire game.

In game one, the Cougars fell behind 5-0 after five innings. The Cougars rallied to tied the game at five in the sixth inning on seven hits. Ashley Eichelberger started things with a big RBI double. Eichelberger’s hit jump-started the offense as Torimaru responded with a 2-RBI double followed by a Lauren Mills’ 2-RBI double.

Lamar came back with two runs in the seventh as Ashley Duffy unloaded on a 2-out 2-run home run.

WNCC came back and tied the game in the bottom of the inning. Ventoza led off with a double to left field. Amanda Hensley followed with a single. Eichelberger then scored Ventoza with a sacrifice fly. Torimaru followed with a 2-out triple to tie the game.

The Cougars won the game in the eighth. Lauran Bourdon led off with a single. Ventoza then delivered a 2-out double to put runners in scoring position. Bourdon scored on the next batter on an error by the first baseman for the game.

Natasha Dypchey picked up the win going eight innings and striking out seven.

Ventoza led the Cougars from the plate with a 3-for-5 performance including two doubles and an RBI. Also collecting two hits were Hensley and Torimaru.

The second game was just as exciting. Both teams wer tied at four after four innings. Lamar took a 7-4 lead in the sixth on two hits and two errors. WNCC responded with three runs to tie the game. Lauren Mills started things with a double followed by a single by Whittany Foster.

Ventoza continue her torrid hitting by delivering an RBI double. McNabb then scored two runs on another double to tie the game with no outs.

In the seventh, Dypchey, who came in to pitch in the sixth inning, shut down the Lopes’ bats. WNCC quickly took advantage in the bottom of the inning. Ryman led off with a double followed by a single by Bourdon. After a groundout, Foster walked to load the bases. Ventoza came through with a sacrifice fly to left field to score Ryman with the winning run.

Ryman knew when she stepped up to the plate, that she had to deliver, and deliver she did.

“[I thought to myself] we needed to get runs on the board,” she said. “I needed to try to get on base and score.”

Dypchey picked up the win pitching 1 2/3 in relief of Jessica Pexton. Pexton also pitched well, but gave up seven runs on 16 hits, while striking out four in the no-decision.

Ventoza continued her sizzling hitting going 2-for-3 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored. McNabb also had excellent game going 3-for-4 with a double, three RBIs and a run scored. Also collecting multiple hits were Hensley with a 2-for-4 performance, including a double and two RBIs, and Ryman with a 2-for-4 outing with two doubles and two runs scored.

In the nightcap, WNCC was all over Lamar jumping out to a 5-0 lead after three innings and cruising to the 10-2 win.

Ventoza, Ryman and Torimaru each collected three hits in the third game. Ventoza had three singles, an RBI and a run scored from her lead-off spot. Ryman had one double and three RBIs in the win. Torimaru had a double two RBIs and a run scored.

Also collecting multiple hits were Foster with two, including a run-scoring triple, and Ashley Eichelberger with two RBIs and two singles.

The Cougars will be off until Sunday when they travel to the Air Force Academy before hosting Dawson Community College in two Region IX games on March 15. Ryman said the three wins showed the home crowd how good this team can be.

“I think we are really good and we have a lot of potential,” she said. “At times we get down on ourselves, but in the end we are all well-rounded and talented and the players on our team can do anything that the other ones can do. It was just nice to be 3-0 in front of a home crowd thanking them for supporting us.”

Game One
Lamar 010 220 10 – 7 11 2
WNCC 000 005 21 – 8 12 1
WP – Dypchey, LP Kay Norte. 2B – WNCC (Ventoza 2, Eichelberger, Torimaru, Mills), Lamar (Norte); 3B – WNCC (Torimaru); HR – Lamar (Duffy 2).

Game Two
Lamar 220 003 0 – 7 8 2
WNCC 120 103 1 – 8 12 3
WP – Dypchey, LP – Caitlin Schmidt; 2B – WNCC (Rynan 2, Ventoza, McNabb, Hensley, Mills).

Game Three
Lamar 000 110 – 2 4 5
WNCC 005 032 – 10 16 0
WP – Dypchey, LP – Schmidt; 2B – WNCC (Torimaru, Ryman), #B – WNCC (Foster), HR – Lamar (Michelle Reynolds).

Cougar men open regional tournament with overtime thriller

It wasn’t pretty, but the Western Nebraska Community College men’s basketball survived to advance in the Region IX men’s basketball tournament with a thrilling, heart-pounding 89-83 overtime win over Otero Junior College Saturday evening.

And, if it wasn’t for a 16-0 run in the second half in which the Cougars held Otero scoreless for a seven minute stretch, the WNCC season could’ve been over. Thank goodness for Matthew Akins, who finished with a double-double with 24 points and 17 rebounds, including six crucial points in the extra period that helped the Cougars survive to the quarterfinals.

“Survive and advance,” WNCC coach John Jungers said. “We have been in this situation before and we seem to come out on top.”

The Cougars had to battle back from a 10-point deficit midway through the second half to survive into Monday’s quarterfinals against the winner of tonight’s contest between Northwest College and Western Wyoming Community College. Monday’s game is scheduled for 8 p.m.

Otero forged ahead 69-59 on clutch free throw shooting and a 3-pointer by Ryan Goodenberger with 8:03 to play. After that, the Rattlers went cold and WNCC picked up their intensity going on a 16-0 run. The Cougars tied the contest at 69 with 4:29 to play on two Carl Buck free throws.

Then, Erik Smith drove to the middle and popped in a 12-footer to put WNCC up 71-69. The Cougars weren’t finished as they forged ahead 75-69 with just over a minute to play on a Akins bucket.

Otero’s Tomaul Hawkins stopped the run, getting a steal and stopping the scoreless streak with 1:01 to play. The Rattler came back cutting the lead to 76-75 on a bucket by Alex Snyder with 9.3 seconds to play.

WNCC pushed the lead to two points as CJ Hampton made one of two free throws with 7.9 seconds. Otero’s Taylor Alvey then drove the paint and made an uncontested lay-up to send the game into overtime.

In the extra period, WNCC forged to a 81-77 lead on buckets by Akins and Doradji Wilson, and then went up 84-79 on a Akins turnaround leaner with 1:50 to play. Otero came back cutting the lead to 84-82 on a Alvey 3-pointer. That was as close as Otero could get as Hampton and Smith hit free throws down the stretch to seal the game.

Jungers said that 16-0 run and the way his team dug down is what saved the day.

“It was about time that we started to defend [during that run],” Jungers said. “ I thought we gave up too many easy baskets. They hurt us on the offensive glass early and they were more aggressive then we were and we gave them all the confidence in the world. I honestly believe we got out played for the majority of the game. We just kind of hung around and hung around and then got stuff done.”

The Cougars had four players in double figures led by Akins with 24 followed by Hampton with 21, Smith with 15 and Carl Buck with 11.

Otero had five with double digits. Hawkins led the way with 19 points followed by Alvey with 16.

The tournament continues today with North Platte facing Trinidad at 1 p.m., Lamar meeting Northeast Nebraska at 3 p.m., Laramie County hooking up with Miles City at 3 p.m. and Northwest Wyoming facing Western Wyoming at 8 p.m.

Quarterfinal action begins Monday at 1 p.m. with four games.

Otero 37 40 6 – 83
WNCC 39 38 12 – 89
OTERO JUNIOR COLLEGE
CJ Littlejohn 2, Tomaul Hawkins 19, Ryan Goodenberger 3, Alex Snyder 14, Andrew Baker 4, MJ Crespin 10, Taylor Alvey 16, Cole Smith 13, Eric Hill 2.
WESTERN NEBRASKA
Keron McKenzie 3, Erik Smith 15, Beno Jaekel 5, Matthew Akins 24, Carl Buck 11, CJ Hampton 21, DaRon Kirkendoll 2, Doradji Wilson 8.

Region IX tournament kicks off today at Cougar Palace

Bridgeport’s Chance Wallesen has played on the Cougar Palace floor for the past six years either through high school or college basketball.

Beginning today, the sophomore guard will be playing his last games in front of the local fans as Western Nebraska Community College gets set to host the men’s Region IX men’s basketball tournament today through Wednesday.

For Wallesen he is hoping to lead his Cougars as deep into the tournament as possible. The Cougars tip off the tournament tonight at 8 p.m. against Otero Junior College.

Earlier action today will see Eastern Wyoming College opening the tournament against Sheridan College at 1 p.m., followed by Casper College meeting Dawson Community College at 3 p.m. and No. 4 Northeastern Junior College meeting McCook Community College at 6 p.m.

“We have been looking forward to the regional tournament since day one,” Wallesen said. “One of our goals was to host it and we accomplished that. Now we have to go to work. We know what we have to do and we are ready to go.

“We are playing a lot better then we were about 10 games ago. We were in a slump where we lost four out of five. We turned it around big time. We will miss Ricardo [De Bem], but we have been doing well in practice.”

De Bem has been shelved with a serious ankle sprain suffered in the Northeastern Junior College game Feb. 20. Since then, the Texas Tech recruit has been sidelined with crutches and a walking-boot.

But, the Cougars will ready today when they face off against an Otero squad that limps into the regional tournament with a 7-22 record. The Cougars have already defeated the Rattlers twice this season, 105-84 in January and then 89-81 last Friday.

Wallesen said that game last Friday showed to the Cougars what they need to win the regional tournament – play a full 40 minutes.

“The game at Otero was a big surprise [with the way we played with Ricardo De Bem],” Wallesen said. “We went down there and played good for 30 or 35 minutes. We didn’t finish up real well, but we won. We know we can win without him. We will be O.K.”

In fact, the Cougars held a 42-29 lead at halftime while putting four players in double figures, led by Keron McKenzie’s 19 points.

Wallesen said team work is what it is going to take to be successful at the regional tournament.

“We are playing as a team right now,” he said. “It is a team game now and who plays the best team ball and who executes down the stretch will win. It might come down to a free throw in some games, or a possession where we need a shot to score, or a rebound. It is a team thing and it has always been that way, but now you have to execute well.”

The Cougars have been playing some of their best ball winning four of their last five games. The team avenged earlier losses against Casper and Eastern Wyoming by downing their former sub-region foes 73-62 and 76-74. They also knocked off North Platte Community College 65-57 and Otero. Their only setback in the last three weeks was a 79-71 defeat to Northeastern Junior College.

For the Cougars to win the regional tournament, the road will go through NJC, the No. 4 team in the nation. The Plainsmen open today against McCook Community College at 6 p.m. Wallesen said that the team knows NJC could be waiting the Cougars in the semi-finals, if they win today and then Monday, but they are not looking that far ahead. What matters most is taking one game at a time knowing that one loss in this single elimination tournament and your season is finished.

“We are not looking ahead, but coach talks about it a lot and we practice their offense against some of our defense,” Wallesen said. “It is the back of our heads to play them again, but we are not overlooking the two games before that.”

What’s also in the back of Wallesen’s head is finishing off his playing career on a good note for the western Nebraska fans. Wallesen, who played at WNCC for four years for Brideport during the Western Trails Conference tournament, has had a lot of great memories on this court.

“There has been a lot of memories on this court from the first year red-shirting [2002004-05] to now. It has been a blast and it seemed like it went so fast,” he said. “I just was to play as many games as I can and hopefully it can be four more games and we can play the regional final on this court too. I am looking forward to it. I had a great time.”

The one thing that Wallesen will do for sure is leave everything he has on the court. In fact, Wallesen has left many dents in the sideline tables and bleachers during the past year with his diving, leaping and hustling after loose balls.

“That has been something I have always did since my freshman year in high school where my coach told us to go and get balls no matter what,” he said. “I just picked up on it and have done it ever since. It might not be the smartest thing at times, but I have gotten about half of them I have dove for.

“I spent half of my time on the floor picking up loose balls and getting that rebound,” he said. “You know I am not the greatest athlete out there, but my hard work pays off and that is what the coach sees.”

Since his three years at WNCC, Wallesen has greatly improved his game and will be looking to take it to the next level someplace.

“I have improved tremendously. From day one, Jungers brought us in and especially me and told me that I have improved a great deal. I got a lot quicker and a lot better feel for the game. I am more smarter I think.”

Wallesen is going to do his best to play as many more games on Cougar Palace as possible before he hangs up his career in western Nebraska.

“I want to play somewhere and coach will get me somewhere I know for sure. Right now I am waiting for the tournament to start. I am focused on that,” he said. “We are hoping to play four games and give Western Nebraska the credit they deserve and go out winning.”

Other first round match-ups in the Men’s Region IX tournament

Today, 1 p.m.

Sheridan College vs. Eastern Wyoming

The Sheridan College Generals enter the tournament with a 26-3 record and a 10-game win streak. The Lancers enter the game on the opposite end, dropping their final three games. EWC enters the game with a 14-16 record.

Anything is possible at regionals and the Lancers know that. Sheridan already dropped Eastern twice this season 79-58 and 92-78. In both games Brendan Puckett, EWC’s leading scorer, erupted for 18 and 21 points. On the flipside, the Generals Watson has scored 23 points in each contest. The Generals are led by Dorian Watson, who is averaging 17 points a game.

Sheridan comes into the contest with the top offensive team in Region IX, scoring at a clip of 91.9 points a game. Eastern, though, has a fierce defense giving up 69.3 points a game, which is sixth in Region IX – three spots ahead of Sheridan’s 74.4 defensive average. The Lancers are le dby several players that can score and bring electricity to the gym. Puckett is the team’s top player averaging 12.5 points a game, including already making 77 3-pointers. Also, Stephen Baker is shooting 45 percent from the 3-point area, while Josh Davis is connecting on 79 percent of his free throws.

The winner of this game faces the winner of the North Platte and Trinidad State winner Monday at 1 p.m.

Today, 3 p.m

Casper College vs. Dawson C.C.

This match-up will feature two teams with almost identical records and offensive scoring teams. Casper College enters after winning the central sub-region record. The T-Birds are 17-13 on the season. Dawson enters the contest at 13-11 and brings in the third best offensive team in the region. The Bucs are averaging 84.5 points a game.

While Dawson can score points, they also give up 81 points a game, which is near last in the region. That could prove dangerous against a Casper team that has proven they can score. The T-Birds are led by freshman Josh Davis at 15.9 points a game and sophomores DeMarcus Richard and Scott Nelson at 11.4 and 10.8 points a game.

Dawson, though, also have some scoring threats, led by freshman Josh Walker at 12.1 points a game. Freshmen Chevaz Givens and Traellis Gregg are averaging 11 points a game.

The winner faces the winner of the Lamar and Northeast Nebraska game Monday at 3 p.m

Today, 6 p.m.

Northeastern Colorado vs. McCook C.C.

Northeastern Junior College enters the tournament as the team to beat with a 27-1 record and a No. 4 ranking in the last regular season NJCAA polls. The Plainsmen have won their last 19 games and feature the second best scoring team in Region IX (87.3 points) and the third best defensive team (65.7).

During the Plainsmen’s 19-game win streak, they have defeated all but three of their opponents by double digits. The only teams to stay within the double-digit margin were Casper (78-71), Trinidad (78-70) and Western Nebraska (78-71).

NJC has four players averaging in double figures, led by sophomores Rashad Austin and Shane Edwards at 13.5 and 12.4 points a game. Also hitting double digits are sophomore LaTravis Turner (11.6) and freshman Mike Dominguez (10.0).

McCook enters the tournament on a little bit of a high, winning their last two games and a 14-16 record. The Indians upended Southeast Nebraska 80-77 and then handed Lamar their sixth defeat of the year 75-66.

McCook features the fourth best defensive team in Region IX giving up 68 points a game. Offensively, McCook is led by Trey Harris at 11.7 points a game. Harris is also shooting 43 percent from the 3-point line.

The winner faces the Laramie County and Miles City winner Monday at 6 p.m.

Today, 8 p.m.

Western Nebraska vs. Otero J.C.

The Cougars, 12-16 and winners of four of their last five gamed, take on Otero Junior College, who is 7-22 and losers of their last five games.

The Cougars feature the fifth best scoring offense in Region IX averaging 80.7 points a game. WNCC also have four players averaging double-figures. Ricardo De Bem is averaging 16.8 points a game followed by CJ Hampton at 14 points, Erik Smith at 12 points and Matthew Akins at 10.3 points.

Otero, though, has lost some heartbreakers during their current losing skid, including an 83-77 loss to Lamar and a 87-81 loss to Trinidad State. The rattlers are led by Tomaul Hawkins’ 21.1 points.

The winner will face either Northwest Wyoming or Western Wyoming Monday at 6 p.m.

Sunday, 1 p.m.

North Platte vs. Trinidad State

This will be a battle of two fairly even teams. North Platte enters the tournament with a 20-8 record including winners of eight of their last 11 games. The Knights bring in the fourth best defensive team in the region, giving up 66 points a game. The Knights are led by by Danny Tucker, who is averaging 14.8 points a game. Also scoring double figures is Nathan Wilson at 11.3 points and Joseph Odugbela at 11 points.

Trinidad State enters the contest on a roll as well with a 17-13 record and winners of three of their last four games. The Trojans have been led Zach Smith, who has been Trinidad’s leading scorer in 18 of their 30 games. Smith is averaging 16.6 points and 9.7 rebounds a game. Trinidad also is getting solid play from Joe Fisher, who is averaging 13.8 points a game.

The winner faces the Sheridan/Eastern Wyoming winner Monday at 1 p.m.

Sunday, 3 p.m.

Lamar C.C. vs. Northeast Nebraska

Lamar Community College enters the regional stinging from a late season loss to McCook Community College and Trinidad State. The Runnin’ Lopes enter with a 23-6 record and before those two end-of-the-season losses, the Lopes have been one of the hottest teams. Lamar is averaging 72.8 points a game, 12^th in Region IX, but boast the second best defensive team at 64.6 points.

The Runnin’ Lopes are led by sophomore Brandon Johnson at 17.1 points. Mike Bogar has also came up big for the Lopes pulling down 6.2 rebounds a game. Delvin Franklin is averaging 12.4 points a game and shooting 48 percent from the 3-point line.

Northeast Nebraska enters with a 7-22 mark. The Hawks are last in scoring offense at 65.9 points a game, but a lot better on the defense, ranked 11^th giving up 75.8 points a game. The Hawks are led by Ken Moore at 12.3 points, Robert Progue at 11.2 points and Oneil Mangal at 10.6 points. Arsenio Carter is also pulling down 6.6 rebounds a game.

The winner faces either Casper or Dawson Monday a 3 p.m.

Sunday, 6 p.m.

Laramie County vs. Miles City

Again, this pits two fairly even ball clubs. Miles City enters the tournament with a 17-13 record and winners of their last three games. The Pioneers are averaging 79.1 points on offense and giving up 74.2 points on defense, both 7^th in Region IX. The Pioneers are led by Jake Rios, Greg Hire and Aaron Sutton who are averaging 16.4, 15.6 and 14.8 points a game. Miles City also has two of the top free throw shooters in the region in Rios and Kale Eike, both hitting over 81 percent of their shots.

Laramie County, on the other hand, counters with Ralph Woodson, who is one of the best players in Region IX. Woodson is averaging 18.6 points a game, 9.67 rebounds a game and is shooting a Region IX-leading 66.76 from the field. The Golden Eagles, who are 14-16 on the year, also get scoring from Donnell Lyons at 14.4 points, DeAngelo McIntosh at 13.8 points and Kierra Miller at 11.2 points.

The winner faces either NJC or McCook Monday at 6 p.m.

Sunday, 8 p.m.

Northwest Wyoming vs. Western Wyoming

The final first-round game could be a defensive slugfest between two teams that are strong defensively, or it could be an offensive showdown as both teams have scorers.. Northwest Wyoming, 20-10, is the top-ranked team in the region allowing just 62.4 points a game. The Trappers, though, are only scoring 72.5 points a game.

Northwest has some exciting athletes, including Milan Stanojevic, who is third in Region IX in scoring at 18.1 points a game. He is shooting 47 percent from the 3-point area. Northwest is also led by Nate Miller at 17.5 points (fourth in Region IX) an dBrett Sommerville at 10.9 points a game.

Western Wyoming enters the tournament with a 12-16 mark, but with a good defense allowing 76 points a game. The Spartans are also one of the top 3-point shooting teams in the region at 40 percent. The Mustangs are led by Cory Kaminska’s 12.4 points a game followed by Casey Robinson at 10.6 points. Auston Robinson also is a threat shooting 49 percent from 3-point area.

The winner faces either WNCC or Otero Monday at 8 p.m.

Baseball, softball home openers this weekend

The Western Nebraska Community College baseball and softball teams will have their home openers this weekend.

The Cougar baseball team will open the home slate of games today when they host Colby Community College in one 9-inning game beginning at 1 p.m., weather depending, at Cleveland Field. The two squads will then have a doubleheader on Sunday beginning at noon.

The softball team won’t open up their home campaign until Sunday with a tripleheader beginning at noon against Lamar Community College. The softball team plays their games at Volunteer Field located behind Cleveland Field.

The Cougar ladies’ first two games Sunday will count in Region IX standings. WNCC is currently 4-2 in regional play, while Lamar is 2-4. Otero is leading the conference with a 6-0 mark. WNCC is coming off a 2-2 effort last weekend, dropping two games at Otero before downing Air Force Academy.

The baseball team, on the other hand, will be looking to get healthy recordwise against Kansas competition. The Cougars are currently 1-7 on the year after playing Hutchinson Community College and Barton County Community College the last two weekends.

WNCC baseball coach Mike Jones is hoping his team starts to turn things around. “The key for us to come out with wins is how we play defensively,” Jones said. “We’ve had some good pitching performances and we have been able to put some runs on the board. The biggest problem of us as been our defense; we make quite a few mistakes and that seems to cost us quite a few runs. It is just important for us to play better as a defensive unit.”

Phillips Orta will get the nod on the mound in Sunday’s game with Jeff McDonald and Todd Stachura will get the starts on Sunday.

While the Cougars have found the wins hard to come by early on, they are hoping to turn their season around before heading into regional play next weekend against Lamar Community College.

“It is always nice to play at home. We will see how we come out and play,” Jones said. “I anticipate [today] being a tough day with the weather. We will fight a lot of conditions.”

WNCC has had a history of starting seasons slow and finishing strong, and Jones knows that this team will turnaround into a solid ball club. The biggest thing for the Cougars is inconsistencies.

“We played much better against Barton County then we had the previous weekend. We got a little bit more confidence. We played a much quicker game,” Jones said. “For us we just need to keep playing and we have to keep learning from our mistakes. We’ve made quite a few mistakes and we haven’t been able to work on them as much as we would like. We have been fighting a lot of weather conditions. As soon as things start to warm up for us and we are outside consistently, you will see a better team.”

After this weekend’s home games, the baseball team will travel to the Air Force Academy on Tuesday, while the softball team will travel to the Air Force Academy on March 11 before hosting Dawson Community College on March 15.

Softball team wins two on Sunday

The Western Nebraska Community College softball team quickly put the losses to Otero Junior College behind them Sunday as the Cougars defeated Air Force Academy in a doubleheader 4-2 and 6-5 in an extra-inning.

Both contests were nail-biters. In the opener, the Cougars struck for four first-inning runs and then cruised to the 4-2 win behind the four-hit pitching of Natasha Dypchey.

The second contest saw Jessie Ventoza go 4-for-4 from the plate and Jessie McNabb blast a 2-run, fifth-inning home run to propel WNCC to the sweep of Air Force.

“Defensively we played really strong, committing few errors,” freshman Lauren Mills said, who made some eye-popping defensive plays Sunday. “Offensively we struggled. We are usually very strong with our bats and we didn’t have them on the day.”

The Cougars, who had just four hits in the opening game, benefited from four straight walks followed a 2-RBI double by Lauren Bourdon to put the Cougars up 4-0. After that, the Cougar bats went silent registering just three hits over the next six innings.

WNCC didn’t need the bats in the first game, really, as Dypchey, the freshman pitcher from Canada, was mowing down the Air Force batters with seven strikeouts. Air Force managed lone runs in the first and seventh innings. Dypchey scattered four hits through the seven innings.

Bourdon continued her torrid hitting going 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a triple. Mills also provided some pop, going 1-for-2 with a double and an RBI. The other Cougar hit came off the bat of McNabb, who went 1-for-2 with two walks.

The nightcap was a barnburner. WNCC scored single runs in the first and second innings to grab a 2-0 lead and led 4-1 after four and a half innings off of McNabb’s 2-RBI inside-the-park home run.

McNabb said those runs proved beneficial as the freshman from Saskatchewan Canada motored around the bases for the inside the park home run on a 225-foot fence.

“It was a clutch home run and we needed to get some runs,” Mills said.

The Air Force Academy came back tying the contest in the bottom of the seventh on two hits and an error. WNCC bolted right back and struck for the winning run in the eighth inning. Dypchey led off the inning after being plucked by a pitch. Amanda Hensley then sacrificed before Amanda Torimaru singling in Dypchey with the go-ahead run.

Pexton picked up the win going all eight innings. The Douglas, Wyo., product scattered 13 hits, but only allowed five runs. She also struck out four and walked one.

Offensively, Ventoza went a perfect 4-for-4 with a double, three singles, a stolen and a run scored. Torimaru also was 2-for-5 with an RBI and the game-winning hit. McNabb, besides her home run, was 2-for-3 with a single, a walk and two runs scored.

Winning the game like they did gives the team confidence in close games. But, the players also realize that they need to play better then they did Sunday.”

“It allows us to learn never to give up until the game is over,” McNabb said. “It is good that we won [after the Otero losses on Friday] because it brought our record back even.”

The Cougars, 7-7, will be back in action Sunday when they open the home campaign against Lamar Community College in a triple-header beginning at 12 noon. McNabb said the team is looking forward to the home-opener at Volunteer Field, located behind Cleveland Field.

“It will be exciting to have all our fans [cheering us],” McNabb said. “We won twice against Lamar [two weeks ago] and we can beat that team. We just have to show up to play.”

First Game
WNCC 400 000 0 – 4 4 2
Air Force 100 000 1 – 2 4 0
WP – Dypchey; 2B – Bourdon.

Second Game
WNCC 110 021 01 – 6 13 4
Air Force 001 020 20 – 1 13 1
WP – Pexton, 2B – Ventoza; HR – McNabb.

Cougar softball, baseball shuffle weekend games

Western Nebraska Community College's Cougar softball and baseball teams had their games scheduled for this weekend shuffled around due to the forecasted winter weather.

The Cougar softball team was scheduled to play Otero Junior College Saturday at La Junta, Colo., but those games have been moved up to Friday beginning at noon. Their games Sunday against the Air Force Academy is still scheduled.

The baseball team's games at Barton County Community College for Saturday and Sunday have been moved to Monday and Tuesday to avoid the wintery mix that is due to hit Saturday.

Both teams will then be home for their home-openers the following weekend. The baseball team will open March 3 and 4 against Colby Community College, while the softball team will face Lamar Community College beginning at 12 noon in a triple-header.

Follow the Region IX Men's Tournament on the Internet

It is has been 10 years since WNCC has hosted the regional tournament you can follow all the action on the web off of regionix.wncc.net and then by clicking "men's basketball"

The page is started with lodging and eating locations and more information will be put up in the coming days.

So, let's start getting excited for us hosting the regional tournament.

WNCC women win 23rd game of season over NJC

The Western Nebraska Community College women’s basketball team used a stern second half defense, holding Northeastern Junior College to just 23 points in claiming a 69-54 win over the Plainswomen Tuesday night at Cougar Palace.

The Cougars not only clamped on the defense, they also received a solid performance from the bench outscoring the Plainswomen 29-7 in registering their 23^rd win of the season in the home finale.

“I thought for one of the first times this semester, we had balanced scoring tonight,” WNCC coach Dave Harnish said. “We had 10 or 11 kids that stepped up and played well tonight. We haven’t been getting kids that stepped up all night. I thought we did that tonight. I thought the energy was better and the effort was better. It was one of our better games in the last month.”

For much of the first half, though, the Plainswomen were controlling the tempo. NJC held a 27-19 lead with 3:51 to play on a Sarah Conner 3-pointer. After Conner’s trey, the momentum swung with the Cougars going on a 12-0 run behind a stern defensive behind the ball-hawking of Kiki Taylor and the shooting of freshman Chelsea Lyles.

Taylor started the run by recording a steal and bucket with 2:46 to play in the half. Taylor followed that with another steal and an assist to Lyles to swing the momentum. WNCC kept hammering away with the deficit as Tiara Scott hit a bucket on a Emma Beddome pass. Lyles came right back to drain a 3-pointer with 1:01 to left in the opening half for the Cougars first lead since early in the game.

Seconds later, Dana Iverson found Lyles for an open bucket inside the paint and she was fouled to boot. Lyles calmly hit the free throw to put WNCC up 31-27. NJC came back as Roni Whitman hit four free throws in the final seconds to tie the game at half at 31.

“We tried to man them the entire first half and then we went into more of a trapping zone defense right before halftime which got us back into it,” Harnish said. “I think we were down 27-19 and then switched defenses. Changing our defense was crucial. They are tough to man because they are guard oriented. With our size, and their quickness it gives us problem.”

Both teams traded buckets left and right at the start. Conner, a Guernsey-Sunrise graduate, nailed her second 3-pointer of the game to put the Plainswomen up 34-33. It didn’t last long as WNCC went on a 8-2 run to go up 41-36 with 12:30 to play.

NJC battled back to tied the game at 41 on a Kristen Forbes 3-pointer with 11:03 to play. Beddome quickly answered with a 3-pointer of her own, giving the Cougars the lead for good. Beddome’s trey started a 14-4 run that helped the Cougars mount a double-digit lead over the next four minutes on a Lesley Olson 3-pointer at 55-45.

NJC never cracked single digits the rest of the way as WNCC’s trapping zone defense was too much for the Plainswomen.

WNCC placed four players in double figures. Scott led the way with 12 points followed by 10 points each from Beddome, Lyles and Aurelle Derenoncourt. Beddome’s 10 points led the team off the bench.

“I think everybody stepped up [tonight] with Alison out,” Harnish said. “I thought Aurelle and Emma playing a lot of minutes was a key. We also hit a couple of threes there in the second half to open things up. The kids stepped up tonight and that is what you need to have.”

Jackie Davis paced NJC with 14 points followed by Whitman with 13 and Conner with 11.

WNCC will finish the regular season Friday at Otero Junior College before beginning the Region IX tournament in Casper with a first round game against McCook Community College on March 3.

NE Colorado (22-6) 31 23 – 54
WNCC (23-1) 31 38 – 69
NORTHEASTERN JUNIOR COLLEGE
Roni Whitman 13, Sarah Conner 11, Kristen Forbes 6, Daria Basova 9, Jackie Davis 14, Taija Bennet 1.

WESTERN NEBRASKA
Kiki Taylor 7, Dana Iverson 1, Emma Beddome 10, Tiara Scott 12, Lesley Olson 3, Aurelle Derenoncourt 10, Victoria Martin 6, Shiraya Soto 8, Chelsea Lyles 10, Carly Glisan 2.

No. 4 NJC escapes WNCC

The Western Nebraska Community College men’s basketball team put a little scare into Northeastern Junior College, the No. 4 team in the nation. In the end, the Plainsmen stayed strong, stopping Cougar rallies left and right, to earn a hard-fought 78-71 win Tuesday nigh at Cougar Palace.

“I thought our guys really played hard,” WNCC coach John Jungers said. “The first half we made mental mistakes and for the most part I can’t fault our effort. This is a lesson and it gives us an idea of what it will take to win a regional championship.”

Tuesday night’s contest was a big step for the Cougar men going against a powerhouse and athletic team like NJC, who improved to 26-1 and winners of 19-straight games. WNCC fought hard never giving up despite being down by 18 points at one time cutting the deficit to two points on a DaRon Kirkendoll 3-pointer with five minutes to play in the game.

"I love these kids. We have tremendous sophomore leadership. Matt Akins, Chance, Rick and CJ, they are the heart and soul of our team,” Jungers said. “I am proud of our guys. We just know we have to be better and we will.”

Tuesday night’s contest seemed as if the No. 4 team in the nation was going to run away with the contest a halftime. NJC took a 46-29 lead into the locker room nailing nine 3-pointers in the first half.

WNCC fought back behind a blistering shooting performance where the Cougars out-shot the Plainsmen 44 to 34 percent from the field in the second half, including nailing seven 3-pointers. The difference in the contest was free throw shooting, where NJC was 13 of 28 for the game, while WNCC was a measly 5 of 11.

The Cougars took control early in the second half. CJ Hampton was key for the Cougars nailing three 3-pointers early cutting the lead to 54-49 11.41 to play. NJC went on a mini-run to push the lead back to 12 points at 61-49.

WNCC didn’t get rattled as Beno Jaekel scored four straight points, including a dunk and then Matthew Akins connected on one free throw, followed by Carl Banks making four straight points, including a drive on the baseline for a bucket to slice the lead to 61-58.

NJC’s Shane Edwards came back to hammer home a dunk before Kirkendoll drilled a 3-pointer from the corner to cut the lead to two points, 63-61. WNCC couldn’t get any closer as NJC went on a 9-0 run to push the lead back to 11, 72-61.

Again, WNCC wasn’t phased by NJC’s lofty No. 4 ranking battling down to the bitter end as Hampton drained another 3-pointer with 1:07 to play to cut the lead to 74-66. Then, with 4.8 second to play, Chance Wallesen drilled a trey to cut the lead to six points, but it was a little to late.

Hampton led all scorers with 22 points, including six 3-pointers. Keron McKenzie and Ricardo De Bem also finished with double digits with 11 and 10 points.

NJC was led by Mike Dominguez with 20 points, followed by Omar Leary with 16, Shane Edwards with 13 and Troy Smith with 12.

WNCC will wrap up the regular season with a contest Friday at Otero Junior College before hosting the Region IX men’s tournament, which begins March 3 through the 7.

NJC (26-1) 46 32 – 78
WNCC (11-16) 29 42 – 71

NORTHEASTERN COLORADO
Achigbo Ameh 1, Omar Leary 16, Rashad Austin 7, LaTravis Turner 7, Troy Smith 12, Jarvis Jackson 2, Shane Edwards 13, Mike Dominguez 20.

WESTERN NEBRASKA
Keron McKenzie 11, Chance Wallesen 8, Beno Jaekel 4, Matthew Akins 5, Carl Buck 6, CJ Hampton 22, DaRon Kirkendoll 5, Ricardo De Bem 10.

WNCC, NJC basketball teams tangle Tuesday night at Cougar Palace

Western Nebraska Community College’s Lesley Olson will probably be a little teary-eyed after tonight’s home contest against Northeastern Junior College.

Olson, who has played on the Cougar Palace floor since her freshman year at Gering High School, will be playing her last competitive game on Ron Brillhart court. The Cougar women, ranked No. 9 in the nation with a 22-1 record, will be playing their final home game tonight at 5:30 p.m. with the men’s contest to follow against the No. 4-ranked NJC men.

“It is going to be emotional. I have played on this court all through high school and it has been special playing here,” Olson said. “I am just in shock that this is our last home game this season. It has gone by so fast. After this game we go to La Junta, Colo., and we have a week to get ready for regionals. We will have to practice hard in the next two weeks. We need to take it one game at a time.”

Tonight’s contest against the Plainswomen will not be easy. NJC is 22-5 on the season and have won nine straight games since their last defeat, a 77-63 setback to WNCC in January.

The Plainswomen’s closest game in the past night games as a 75-72 win over Otero Junior College. Other then that, NJC has been winning by or near double-digits, including a 76-62 win over Otero last weekend.

During that streak, the Plainswomen defeated Casper College 60-51, Sheridan College 95-71 and Northwest Wyoming 55-44.

NJC is paced by two players in the top 20 in Region IX scoring. Sophomore Daria Basova leads Region IX with an 18.8 scoring average and a 10.7 rebounding average. Freshman Sarah Conner, a Guernsey-Sunrise graduate, is averaging 11.2 points a game. Conner is also pulling down 6.7 rebounds, while getting 3.75 assists and 2.23 steals a game. She is also knocking home 34 percent of her 3-point shots.

While the Plainswomen are playing well, the Cougar women have struggled lately out of the block. Still, they have just one defeat on the season – a 58-53 setback to Casper. Saturday night the Cougars needed a 28-foot 3-pointer by Kiki Taylor to force overtime against Western Wyoming Community College before winning 79-74.

WNCC played the second half Saturday without starting guard Alison Chaney because of a foot injury. Her status for tonight’s contest is questionable.

The Cougar women, though, have won five straight games. But Olson said they will need to be on the top of their game against a talented NJC crew.

“We have to come out with enthusiasm and play like we know we can,” she said. “We haven’t been starting games very well so we just need to pick it up and get into the game.”

While the Cougar women will be playing their last home game, the Cougar men will still have home games left after their 65-57 win Saturday night over North Platte Community College that gave WNCC the right to host next month’s regional tournament.

And, for the Cougar men, they have been on a roll winning their last three contests over Casper College, Eastern Wyoming and North Platte. WNCC enters tonight’s game with a 11-15 mark (or 17-9 if one doesn’t count the forfeits earlier in the season).

WNCC will need to play well to topple Northeastern Junior College, the No. 4 team in the nation. The Plainsmen enter with a 25-1 record and winners of their last 18 games. NJC’s only setback came to Dodge City Community College 67-57 back in November. Since that loss, the majority of the Plainsmen’s wins have been by double-digits. NJC is averaging 89.3 points a game while giving up 66.2 points.

WNCC is not far behind the Plainsmen, averaging 81.6 points and giving up 77 points a game.

NJC has four players in the top 30 in scoring in Region IX. Shane Edwards leads the way at 13.5 points a game followed by Omar Leary at 13.4 points, Rashad Austin at 13 points and La Travis Turner at 11.5 points.

The Cougars are led by Ricardo De Bem’s 17.7 points a game followed by CJ Hampton at 13 points and Erik Smith at 12.4 points. All three of the Cougars are also in the top 30 in scoring.

After tonight’s contests, both the Cougar men and women will travel to La Junta, Colo., Friday to face Otero Junior College in the last regular season contest. The Cougar women will then compete in the Region IX tournament in Casper, Wyo., the first weekend of March. The WNCC women’s first-round opponent at regionals will be McCook.

The Cougar men be at home for the regional tournament starting March 3. WNCC’s first game at regionals will be Saturday, March 3 against the fourth seed from the south sub-region, either Otero Junior College.