WNCC volleyball coach donates her hair to Locks of Love

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

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

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

WNCC men and women host McCook on Tuesday

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WNCC men fall to Northeast Nebraska

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

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

Former WNCC basketball player Paco Cruz flying high at Wyoming

From the Laramie Boomarang

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WNCC men fall to Casper 77-71

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WESTERN NEBRASKA

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

WNCC signs Widick to softball letter of intent

»Kimberly keeps swinging: (from the Greeley Tribune)

Platte Valley senior standout Kimberly Widick will continue playing softball after a stellar career on the diamond for the Broncos.

Widick has signed to play softball for Western Nebraska Community College in Scottsbluff, Neb.

Widick was a talented hitter and shortstop for the Broncos (17-7), who advanced to the 3A state semifinals for the first time in program history this past fall.

After her strong senior season, Widick was named an all-Patriot League selection and was an all-state honorable mention by The Denver Post.

Widick will be a shortstop and utility player for Western Nebraska, which was 43-21 last season.

WNCC women go to 17-0 on season with win over Otero on the road

LA JUNTA, Colo. -- Kyra Peterson poured in 16 points and the Western Nebraska Community College women's basketball team played strong defense in picking up their 17th win of the season with an impressive 64-53 win over Otero Junior College Saturday afternoon on the road.
               WNCC coach Dave Harnish was pleased with his squad picking up a quality win over Otero, who came into the contest as the top defensive team in the nation.
               "I feel a lot better after this win," Harnish said. "We played with a lot better intensity. We came out pretty strong and took control and had the lead the entire game. The defense was also solid tonight. We got up by 14 in the second half and they cut it back down to about four. But, then we worked it back up to 20. The kids played with good intensity, battled and rebounded well, and defended well. It definitely is a good win against a good team."
               The Cougars bolted to a 27-20 lead and kept control of the contest throughout. The big key in the came was rebounding, where the Cougars out-rebounded the Rattlers 43-33. TIffany Moorer led the team with seven rebounds.
               WNCC also got balanced scoring, as nine players found the scorebook, including three in double figures. Peterson had 16 points, including two 3-pointers to pace the team. Moorer finished with 13 while Samantha Sanders had 10 points and one 3-pointer.
               Harnish said Otero is not an easy place to play and come away  with a win. Plus, the Rattlers are a salty ballclub, having knocked WNCC out of the Region IX tournament a year ago.
               "This is a tough place to play," Harnish said. "They have a good coach and they play hard. It is a tough environment down here with the crowd. The kids got the lead up to 20 and kept the crowd quite. We did a good job tonight."
               The 16th-ranked Cougars will return to action Tuesday when they travel to Casper College Tuesday night before returning home to face Northeast (Neb.) Community College Saturday afternoon. Saturday's contest tips off at 1 p.m. and is a sub-region contest.

WNCC (17-0)                     27 37 -- 64
Otero (12-3)                       20 33 -- 53
WESTERN NEBRASKA
Samantha Sanders 10, Shelby Campbell 4, Tiffany Moorer 13, Thais Pinto 1, Carolina Alves 8, Kyra Peterson 16, ChaCha Ofoegbu 1, Leona Garrett 6, Shelby Jones 4.

WNCC men fall to Otero by three points

LA JUNTA, Colo. -- The Western Nebraska Community College men's basketball team put Friday's loss to Lamar Community College behind them and played much better against Otero Junior College on Saturday.
               The Cougars, however, came up short, falling 72-69 to the Rattlers despite a 28-point, 11-rebound outing from sophomore Hauns Brereton.
               WNCC coach Russ Beck said he was proud of how his team put the Lamar behind them and played well, just coming up short.
               "We executed fairly well. We still had 21 turnovers. Defensively, we were improving a lot. If we start cutting down on our turnovers on our possessions, we will start winning," he said. "I am proud of the guys because they battled and they played well. I thought they played together and that is half the battle."
               Beck said they shot well from the free throw line, at 78 percent, but they gave up too many offensive rebounds and turned the ball too much.
               "We have to minimize our mistakes and do a little bit better job rebounding," he said. "They had 19 offensive rebounds, so we need to do a better job boxing out because we are shooting ourselves in the foot with turnovers and then we are giving them extra shots."
               WNCC, 9-8, had two players finish in double figures. Besides Brereton's 28 points, Joe Stock chipped in 12 points with four 3-poiners. Mike Peltz also had a good game, finishing with nine points, six rebounds and four assists.
               Beck said they it is just a matter of time for this team.
               "We are close and we are getting better," he said. "We just need to get better soon than later."
               WNCC will be back in action Tuesday night when they travel to Casper College before hosting Northeast (Neb.) Community College on Saturday at 3 p.m.

WNCC (9-8)                        30 39 -- 69
Otero (13-5)                       33 39 -- 72
WESTERN NEBRASKA
Hauns Brereton 28, Mike Peltz 9, Justin Omogun 3, Marko Kovacevic 4, Joe Stock 12, Raul Delgado 2, Aamie Kelliehan 2, Miguel Gotti Ramos 6, Aaron Turner 3.

WNCC men fall to Lamar 101-77

               LAMAR, Colo. -- The Lamar Community College men's basketball team sizzled from the field in running to a 101-77 win over Western Nebraska Community College Friday at Lamar, Colo.

               The Runnin' Lopes opened up a tight game in the opening minutes, including going on a 7-0 run midway in the first half. That run pushed a 22-16 Lamar lead into a 29-16 lead. Lamar went on to lead 57-29 at intermission.

               The second half was better for the Cougars as they fought back on many occasions slicing the lead to 14 points several times. Hauns Brereton scored seven straight points midway through the second 20 minutes to cut the deficit to 74-60 with 9:30 to play.

               The Cougars kept playing hard getting the deficit to 80-66 on two Marko Kovacevic hit two free throws. At that point, the Cougars were clicking on offense, but it was short lived as Lamar 9-3 run to push the lead back to 20 points and coasted to the Runnin' Lopes seventh victory of the season.

               WNCC had three players finish in double figures. Brereton paced the team with 21 points, followed by Justin Omogun with 12 points and Aamir Kelliehan with 10 points. Raul Delgado and Joe Stock each finished with nine points.

               Lamar had three players collect double digits, led by Arden Dennis with 24 points followed by Josh Turner with 20 points and Ron Waller with 14.

               WNCC will look to get back on the winning track Saturday afternoon when they face Otero Junior College.

WNCC (9-7)                        29 48 -- 77

Lamar (7-5)                        57 44 -- 101

WESTERN NEBRASKA

Mike Peltz 5, Joe Stock 9, Justin Omogun 12, Stephen Shepherd 2, Hauns Brereton 21, Raul Delgado 9, Aamie Kelliehan 10, Marko Kovacevic 6, Aaron Turner 2.

WNCC pick up 16th win of the season with 70-45 win over Lamar

LAMAR, Colo. -- The Western Nebraska Community College women's basketball team started slow, but heated up in the second half to post a 70-45 win over Lamar Community College Friday at Lamar, Colo.

               The win pushed the No. 16 Cougars to 16-0 on the season as they look for win number 17 Saturday against Otero Junior College in La Junta, Colo.

               Friday's contest saw two Cougars finish with double figure scoring, led by sophomore Tiffany Moorer with 14 points. Kyra Peterson finished with 13 points, including three 3-pointers. Eight other Cougars also finished in the scorebook.

               WNCC coach Dave Harnish said his team started slow, keeping a good Lamar squad in the contest.

               "It was a very lethargic start for us early and we turned the ball over. I think we had 17 turnovers at halftime," he said. "For some reason we weren't into it mentally. We turned the ball over, missed some layups, and it was a very frustrating first half. The second half was better. We attacked it better with the press. We played more up tempo the second half. I thought the defense was good, not great tonight."

               Lamar controlled the first 10 minutes of the game, vaulting to a 13-5 lead and later at 16-10. WNCC came storming back on 3-pointers by Shelby Campbell and Kyra Peterson. Carolina Alves later gave the Cougars their first lead of the game at 17-16.

               WNCC held a slim 25-21 lead at intermission.

               Harnish said the key between the first and second half was getting some transition baskets from the 4th-best national defense.

               "Early in the second half we got some transition baskets and pushed the lead to 12 or 14 points," Harnish said. "Overall, it was just a bad night because we turn it over 25 or 26 times. We struggled making decisions. I think we are the better team, but we made too many mistakes."

               The Cougars took control of the contest in the first two minutes of the second half, scoring the first two buckets, including four points from Samantha Sanders and a bucket by Moorer for a 31-21 lead. WNCC pushed the lead to 12 points on several occasions as Peterson drained a couple treys from the corner, the final with about eight minutes to play after Lamar sliced the lead to 49-40.

               WNCC put the game away with a 15-2 run to finish the contest.

               The Cougars will know face a tough Otero squad that enters the contest with a 12-2 record. The contest also pits two of the top five defensive teams in the nation as Otero comes in with the top defense in the nation, allowing just 46.9 points a game.

               "We need a game like Otero. We had kind of a soft schedule in going 16-0, but we really haven't played anyone really good," Harnish said. "We now have Otero on their home court and they will be the best team we have seen all year. This is something we need because right know we are playing to the level of our competition. Hopefully we will play better tomorrow [Saturday] against a better team and we will find out a little bit more of what we are made of."

WNCC (15-0)                     25 45 -- 70

Lamar (7-8)                        21 24 -- 45

WESTERN NEBRASKA

Samantha Sanders 7, Shelby Campbell 5, Tiffany Moorer 14, Kyra Peterson 13, ChaCha Ofoegbu 2, Darechia Johnson 7, Leona Garrett 6, Thais Pinto 8, Carolina Alves 7, Shelby Jones 1.

WNCC men topple EWC, stops five-game losing skid

The Western Nebraska Community College men’s basketball team received 21 points from Joe Stock, including five second-half 3-pointers, in stopping a five-game losing skid with a hard-fought 74-62 win over Eastern Wyoming College on Tuesday at Cougar Palace.
                The win also stopped a five-game losing skid for the Cougars and the big reason was the team’s defensive pressure that generated 24 Eastern Wyoming turnovers.
                WNCC coach Russ Beck said they there were a couple of players that stepped up big for the team tonight, including Alliance’s Mike Peltz and sophomore Joe Stock.
                “Peltz did have a good game. He is a good creator. He is a warrior,” Beck said “He does exactly what I ask him to do. He doesn’t do anything that I don’t want him to do. You know what, though, Joe had a good game, Hauns had a good game, and I thought Raul came in and did some nice things.
                It was Stock, though, that gave the team the lift they needed in the second half as he blistered the nets for five 3-pointers to change the complexion of the game.
                “Joe has been in the gym  and has been working on getting his shooting license for about three days now,” he said. “He got it today and I think the repetitions  in him trying to get his shooting license really helped him tonight.”
                EWC coach Casey Jones said they were their worst enemy, suffering 17 first half turnovers and then let Stock steal the game from them with his stellar shooting.
                “In my mind, the game was pretty simple. It was 29 turnovers including 17 in the first half. In my opinion we should have been up by 15 at half by shooting 60 percent, but we turned it over 17 times,” he said. “The second half one player beat us as No. 12 [Joe Stock] hit threes. Later in the game, with five minutes to play, other players on their team had confidence and made some shots.
                “There wasn’t very many points scored in the game and when one kid makes five threes in a half, it is pretty tough.”
                Beck said this is a good win for his squad, especially against a Lancer team that is better than their 2-12 record.
                “Casey is a good coach and those boys play awful hard,” Beck said. “We expect to see a whale of a game when we go to their place. They are very close to starting to rack up some wins and they will start surprising some people.
                EWC bolted out of the gates early, moving to an 10-4 lead and led 14-10 on a Ivan Simic bucket. That was when things went the other way for the Lancers as the Cougars went on a 10-0 run over the next nine minutes to grab a 20-14 lead.  The run included a thundering dunk by Stephen Shepherd and a a steal and 3-point play by Alliance’s Mike Peltz.
                The Lancers finally broke the scoring slump on a bucket by Sidney’s Matt Rosenbaum with 6:16 in the first half. EWC came back to tie the game at 26-26 on back-to-back buckets by Jarett Upchurch. But, two buckets by Justin Omogun gave the Cougars a 30-28 led into halftime.
                The second became the Joe Stock show as the sophomore from Louisiana buried five 3-pointers, including three in the first three minutes of the half to bolt the Cougars to a 42-32 lead. WNCC kept the lead near double digits for most of the half.
                After Peltz hit an old-fashioned 3-point play to push the lead to 59-44 with 6:26 to play, the Cougars went on a 10-4 run to widen the gap to 21 points, 69-48. The Lancers fought back, going on a 12-3 run to slice the lead to 72-60 with under a minute to play.
                WNCC finished the contest out-shooting the Lancers 61 to 49 percent. It was also the 3-point shooting that was the difference as WNCC connected on 5 of 8 shots, while the Lancers were just 2 of 10.
                WNCC had three players finish in double figures. Stock had 21 points followed by Justin Omogun with 15 and Peltz with 12.
                The Lancers were paced by Ivan Simic with 12 points followed by Matt Rosenbaum with 10.

EWC (2-12)                          28 34 – 62
WNCC (9-6)                        30 44 – 74
EWC
Nikos Stathopoulos 7, Jordan Johnson 7, Corey Puckett 4, Jarett Upchurch 8, Zach Young 6, Tautvydas Kairys 6, Chad Cottam 2, Matt Rosenbaum 10, Ivan Simic 12.
WNCC
Mike Peltz 12, Joe Stock 21, Justin Omogun 15, Stephen Shepherd 4, Hauns Brereton 9, Raul Delgado 8, Aaron Turner 2, Marko Kovacevic 2.

WNCC women top EWC for 15th win of the season

The Western Nebraska Community College women’s basketball team shot 50 percent from the field and used another strong defensive effort in recording its 15^th win of the season with a 70-50 win over Eastern Wyoming College Tuesday night at Cougar Palace.
                It was the Cougars first game back from the holiday break and they didn’t skip a beat defensively in remaining unbeaten on the year. The No. 16 WNCC team had three players record double-figures , led by Hemingford graduate Shelby Campbell with 12 points. Carolina Alves followed with 11 and Thais Pinto with 10.
                EWC, who has lost their last five games, was led in scoring by Krystal Pittman with 16 points. Pittman sank five 3-pointers and pulled down seven rebounds in the contest. Sarah Smith also had a good game, finishing with 10 points and seven boards.
                Campbell said that they played alright, but there were a few things that were still rusty from the holiday break.
                “We didn’t play our average game that we normally have been playing. We are just getting back into our game,” the sophomore point guard said. “After the game, Coach [Dave] Harnish pointed out the things we need to work on. We still got the W, and it is the small things that you do to win games, and defense is huge tonight.”
                WNCC started the contest strong, zipping out to an 8-0 lead behind back-to-back buckets by Alves. EWC came right back to slice the lead to 8-6 on back-to-back 3-pointers by Jubilee Sutherland.
                Campbell said the opening few minutes was a huge momentum boost for the team.
                “It was a huge confidence booster. Anytime you can come out of the gates solid, then it is good momentum throughout the game,” she said. “We knew coming into the game that Eastern Wyoming lives and dies from the 3-pointer. The first half we were well aware of that.”
                The first half stayed tight between the Highway 26 rivals; that is until the eight minute mark. That was when the Cougars opened up an 18-15 advantage and led by double digits, 25-15 behind a huge 3-pointer by Kyra Peterson. WNCC went on to lead 33-22 at halftime.
                The Cougars’ defense picked up greatly in the second half. After the Lancers sliced the lead to seven points, 34-27 on a Pittman trey, the Cougars went on a 12-2 run, capped by Campbell sticking the ball back in the hoop after following her missed shot to lead 48-29.
                The big difference in the contest was shooting. The Cougars shot 49 percent from the field, including 57 percent in the first half. EWC was just 33 percent from the field. The majority of the Lancers’ points came from behind the arc. EWC canned nine treys, five in the second half.
                WNCC will take its unbeaten mark on the road as they travel to Lamar Community College and Otero Junior College on Friday and Saturday. The Lancers return home for Wyoming Conference action against Northwest Wyoming and Sheridan this weekend.
                Campbell said they are going into this weekend’s contest with caution.
                “We are not looking past them, that is for sure,” she said. “All teams are teams to reckon with. We just have to go down there with the same mentality and confidence.”

EWC (6-9)                            22 28 – 50
WNCC (15-0)                      33 37 – 70
EWC
Krystal Pittman 16, Jayda Schelling 8, Shauri Lyon 4, Jubilee Sutherland 6, Sarah Smith 10, Jessica Santistevan 2, Shickerra Marsh 4.
WNCC
Samantha Sanders 5, Shelby Campbell 12, Tiffany Moorer 4, Lisa Durden 6, Kyra Peterson 5, ChaCha Ofoegbu 8, Leona Garrett 7, Thais Pinto 10, Carolina Alves 11, Shelby Jones 2.

WNCC men and women set to entertain EWC on Tuesday, Jan. 11

                The Western Nebraska Community College men’s and women’s basketball teams will open the second semester in the Highway 26 Border War against Eastern Wyoming College Tuesday, Jan. 11, at Cougar Palace.

                Both Cougars teams enter with contrasting records. The Cougar women enter the 2011 opener riding a sterling 14-0 record and a No. 19 ranking in the nation. The Cougar women will face an Eastern Wyoming College squad that has lost four straight contests. The women’s contest tips off at 5:30 p.m. followed by the men’s contest.

                The men’s contest will be an interesting contest as records mean very little. The Cougar men, who have been off since Dec. 4, enter with an 8-6 mark after dropping their last five contests. The Lancers record is also deceiving. EWC enters with a 2-11 mark, but they easily could be 11-2.

Beck said EWC is one of the hardest-playing teams another team can face.

                “We got to watch them play a little bit and watched some film on them and to be honest with you, they are probably the hardest playing team in our region,” he said. “They play with great effort and intensity. They do the little things. They get on the floor for loose balls. They share the ball. They are really crafty. They are going to come with a whole lot of energy. If we are going to take care of business, we have to match their energy.”

                Beck said it is not so much of what EWC does, it is more important for his team to play well. Beck has seen progress from the team in the five days of practice since the team returned from the holiday break.

                “We have been retooling some things offensively, trying to build a little better chemistry with our squad,” he said. “I think we are one of the more talented teams within our region, but we need to play a little bit more constant in terms of our effort and our intensity. I think we have learned a lot about our team from the first semester in playing a very tough schedule. I am excited about the second semester and the prospects of where we can take this too.”

                The Cougar men have been practicing for the last five days to shake off that holiday rust. Beck said that he likes the energy that the players have right now, heading into the important slate of games.

                “The best practices we have had all year have all occurred in the last couple of days,” Beck said. “That excites me with our energy. The boys are refocused. They weren’t pleased with all the results from the first semester. They are hungry and I can see some chemistry starting to gel.”

                Both Lancer teams have already played in the new year, both suffering losses this past weekend at home. The Lancer men fell to Casper College 65-54 and Gillette College 84-74, while the EWC women lost to Casper 78-53 and Gillette 103-72.

                Beck said that really doesn’t matter.

                “Any adjustments that we made over the break are not evident to anyone yet until we play, so that is a little advantage to us,” he said. “The advantage to them is that they had a chance to knock off that holiday rust when they played Casper and Gillette. I think it goes either way, but all that is out of the window when the ball goes up.”

                After Tuesday’s contest, the Cougar men and women will face Lamar Community College and Otero Junior College on the road on Friday and Saturday.

NOTES

The Cougar softball team will also be holding a chili supper during the evening from 5-7 p.m. The chili supper will be held in the Cougar Den and includes all-you-can-eat chili. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $5.

Tuesday’s promotion is WNCC staff and faculty appreciation. Members of the WNCC family will be recognized at the game. Each will also receive a free bag of popcorn.

There are a couple of roster changes for the second semester for the men’s and women’s basketball team. On the men’s side, the Cougars lost Gering’s Chris Jackson who decided to not play basketball. But, the Cougar men added Alliance graduate TJ Peltz, who will redshirt this season. Peltz is a 6-3 forward/guard. As for the women’s team, only one player didn’t return and that was guard Brittany Macey.

WNCC softball team holding chili supper on Jan. 11

Western Nebraska Community College softball team will hold an all-you-can-eat chili supper during the men’s and women’s basketball games with Eastern Wyoming College on Tuesday, Jan. 11.

The chili supper will run from 5-7 p.m. in the Cougar Den. The cost is $5 and includes chili, dessert and a drink. Tickets can be purchased at the door. There will also be a raffle for different prizes as well. The Cougar women’s basketball game begins at 5:30 p.m. followed by the men’s game.

The chili supper is a fundraiser for the softball program. The team captured the Region IX tournament last season and made their second trip to the national tournament in three years. This year’s softball season will open up Feb. 12 on the road at Garden City Community College.

The first home softball game is slated for March 17 against Black Hills State College.

For more information on the chili supper, contact WNCC softball coach Maria Winn-Ratliff at 308-635-6189 or at winnm@wncc.edu.

WNCC hosting Cougirlz Dance Camp on Jan. 21

Western Nebraska Community College will be sponsoring the 2011 Cougirlz Dance Camp for girls ages preschool to fifth grade.

The camp will be held Friday, Jan. 21 from 4-6 p.m. in Cougar Palace and the participants will perform at halftime of the WNCC and Northeast (Neb.) Community College men’s basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 22. Game time is slated for 3 p.m.

The camp is designed to give campers a competitive opportunity to develop the fundamental skills of dancing and sportsmanship. The camp will teach and focus on basic skill development, a fun dance routine, and a cheer.

Campers will be divided based on age and skill level. The cost of the camp is $25 before Jan. 17, which includes a T-shirt. Registration is $35 after that date or at the door.

For more information or to register, contact Charity Beck at 308-672-1531.

WNCC baseball team holding hitting league beginning Jan. 25

Western Nebraska Community College baseball coach Mike Jones, his staff and players will be hosting a competitive hitting league for five weeks this January and February at their indoor hitting facility at Comm Shop #6, located just south of East Overland on 2nd Avenue in Scottsbluff.

The league is designed for baseball players, ages 10-18, to work on their skills and have some fun competing against their friends. Teams will be comprised of three players each and will play one game per week for five weeks beginning on Tuesday, Jan. 25.

The leagues will be limited to 12 teams or 36 players. if you do not have a team you will be placed on one. The cost per player is $50. Instruction and feedback will be given to help make the players better hitters as well.

For more information or to register for the league you may contract Jones at 308-635-6198 or by email at jonesm@wncc.edu. Registration forms can also be downloaded from the Cougar athletic website at sports.wncc.edu.

WNCC softball team holding pitching clinic on Jan. 23

                The Western Nebraska Community College softball team will be holding a pitching clinic for are youth on Sunday, Jan. 23 at Cougar Palace.

                The pitching clinic is open to girls ages 5 to 18. The camp runs from 2-5 p.m. The cost of the one-day camp is $25.

                Camp flyers can be obtained in the athletic office at the college or downloaded off the Cougar athletic website at sports.wncc.edu.

                For more information on the camp, contact softball coach Maria Winn-Ratliff at winnm@wncc.edu or at 308-635-6189.

WNCC volleyball team will hold open tryouts Jan. 15

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

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

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

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

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

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

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