WNCC battles No. North Platte to the end, but falls short

                 The No. 5 North Platte Community College men’s basketball team used a 14-8 run in the last five minutes to escape Cougar Palace with a hard-fought 75-68 win over Western Nebraska Community College Friday night at Cougar Palace.

                The win keeps the Knights unbeaten on the season at 13-0 as they head to Eastern Wyoming College on Saturday. For the Cougars, it snapped a four-game winning streak and they will look to rebound Saturday afternoon when they host McCook Community College at 4 p.m.

                “It was a hard-fought win against a really good Western Nebraska team,” North Platte coach Kevin O’Connor said. “It was a back and fourth game almost all night long and the final score is not indicative of how close a ball game it was. I thought both teams competed really hard and made plays. It was a fun game to be involved in for coaches and players, and it was a great crowd and great atmosphere.”

                WNCC coach echoed the same sentiment as O’Connor. It was a match-up of two talented teams where it came down to the final minutes to decide a winner.

                “It was a well-played game by both teams. It was neck to neck without either team getting much separation,” Beck said. “They had some key guys come off the bench for them and really make an impact, and they had a little bit more depth than us tonight. I reminded our guys that we are probably the youngest teams in the region right know in terms of sophomores. North Platte returned a lot of sophomores and they made some plays down the stretch. It was a classic battle and I loved the crowd tonight.”

                The first half was a battle from the get-go. WNCC jumped to a 6-2 lead before North Platte stormed back to grab a 13-8 lead on back-to-back buckets by Marco Pascolo. North Platte stayed in the lead, leading 22-17 on a 3-pounter by Pascolo.

                WNCC came storming back to grab a 28-26 lead on three points by Youssoupha Kane and a bucket by Tyler Crosbie. Both teams would hit the locker room tied at 31-31.

                The second half was still a battle as both teams battled back from deficits. North Platte started the half on a 12-6 run to lead 43-37 on a 3-pointer by Tim Simmons. The Cougars battled back as Joel Einfeldt had five straight points and then Einfeldt had a clutch steal and bucket to bring the Cougars to within one 47-46. WNCC took the lead moments later on a Kane free throw, 49-48.

                Both teams battled to a 51-51 tie and then North Platte took a 56-51 lead on a Ethan Montalvo 3-pointer. WNCC clawed its way back to 61-60 on six Brandon Morley points with five minutes to play. That was when the Knights put things into another gear, outscoring the Cougars 14-8 the rest of the way. The closest WNCC got in that stretch was 66-64 on a Crosbie bucket and then 68-66 on a Diante Mitchell steal and lay-in.

                North Platte’s Luke Pittle came through with a clutch bucket and then the Knights hit some clutch free throws for the win.

                North Platte had three players finish with double figures. Montalvo led all scorers with 21 points, including going 8 of 10 from the free throw line. Areon Porter finished with a double double of 10 points and 12 rebounds, while Pascolo had 11 points.

                WNCC put four players in double figures. Kane led with a double double of 14 points and 13 rebounds. Crosbie and Morley each had 13 points, while Mitchell had 12.  

                The big key was rebounding and free throws. North Platte out-rebounded WNCC 43-37 and also converted 18 of 24 free throws to WNCC’s 11 of 20. Three-point shooting was also a big difference. North Platte connected on seven treys for 30 percent, while WNCC only managed 3 of 14 3-pointers for 21 percent.

                O’Connor said they survived and now they have to travel to Torrington for another tough game on Saturday.

                “We were not prepared for the zone and I didn’t think anyone could zone us the way we shoot the ball, but we were a little off tonight and that got the game even,” he said. “It was a hard fought game and either team could have won tonight. We made some free throws down the stretch. Now we have a tough game tomorrow in Torrington coming off of this one.”

                Beck said his team just has to rebound, but he loved the fight his team put on the court against the No. 5 team in the nation.

                “I like our fight but I hate to lose,” he said. “There were a couple little things here and there that could have been the difference for us. We just couldn’t find a rhythm and they sure do a good job of limiting your touches on the wing.”

North Platte (13-0)          31 44 – 75

WNCC (10-7)                      31 37 – 68

NORTH PLATTE
Cameron Williams 6, Luke Pittle 8, Kenyon Gist 2, Ethan Montalvo 21, Areon Porter 10, Tre’Vaun Hymer 2, Jake Maslo 7, Tim Simmons 6, Akau Deng 2, Marco Pascolo 11.

WNCC

Tyler Crosbie 12, Youssoupha Kane 14, Diante Mitchell 12, Joel Einfeldt 9, Derrick Bowers 7, Brandon Morley 13.

WNCC women top Northwest Kansas on Friday

                The Western Nebraska Community College women’s basketball team played a strong first 10 minutes in capturing their 13^th win of the season with a 71-57 win over Northwest Kansas Technical College Friday evening at Cougar Palace.

                The Cougar women was totally sharp as the rust from the holiday break was still evident, especially in the second half.

                “We carried things over from the first semester where we don’t defend and we turn the ball over. Then, again, we got out-rebounded,” WNCC coach Dave Harnish said. “In some games we get out played but we play good enough to win. We just don’t play well for a whole game.”

                The Cougars did start the game like a rejuvenated team for the first 10 minutes. WNCC bolted to an 11-5 lead on a Shalisa Moffit 3-pointer and continued excelling, jumping out to a 22-8 lead on a 3-pointer by Allyson Vasquez.

                The Cougars were also playing strong defense as they held the Mavericks to just 10 points through the first 10 minutes and Northwest’s Nyachiang Bile had all 10 points. WNCC moved to 31-10 on another Vasquez 3-pointer and four points from Kaylee Biddell to lead with nine minutes left in the half.

                Things changed after that as Northwest Kansas outscored WNCC 21-5 over the next seven minutes to slice the lead to 38-31. The Mavericks comeback was helped by an off-balance 3-pointer that Bile nailed as the shot clock was going off.

                WNCC did close out the first half scoring six straight points to take a 44-31 lead into the locker room.

                The Cougars started the second half well, scoring the first 10 points to lead 54-32. The Cougars even led 62-36 after a Angela Vigil 3-pointer and bucket with 10 minutes to play. Northwest kept fighting late to 14, 69-55, but it wasn’t enough as WNCC picked up the win.

                WNCC outshot Northwest from the field 39 percent to 37 percent. The Cougars also converted on six 3-pointers to the Mavericks four.

                Rebounding, though, was the big key for the Cougars. Northwest out-rebounded the Cougars 42-31. Northwest pulled down 19 defensive boards and limited the Cougars second-chance points.

                WNCC had three players in double figures, led by Ashley Stevens with 16 points. Biddell and Vigil each pitched in 10 points, followed by Vasquez with nine, and Moffit and Laurin Rivera with eight each.

                WNCC will look for its second win in as many days on Saturday when they face McCook Community College at 2 p.m. at Cougar Palace in a sub-region contest.

NW Kansas         31 26 – 57

WNCC (13-3)      44 27 – 71

NORTHWEST KANSAS

Cindy Demosthene 12, Karla Hall 2, Nyachiang Bile 24, Biag Mayak 6, Rayven Thomas 11, Caeli Goodson 2.

WNCC

Allyson Vasquez 9, Laurin Rivera 8, Shalisa Moffit 8, Lyndie Puckett 2, Abi Lujan 2, Angela Vigil 10, Liz Dogen 2, Ashley Stevens 16, Kaylee Biddell 10, Lile Haili 2, Oliva Vogel 2.

WNCC women, men ready to open second semester this weekend at home

                The Western Nebraska Community College women’s basketball team is definitely motivated entering the second semester after finishing off 2013 with an embarrassing loss to Trinidad State Junior College.

                The loss, in fact, could prove to be a positive as the players and coaches realize what it will take to win in Region IX.

                “We are all pretty mad about that loss,” freshman Allyson Vasquez said. “We do want to come back out with a big bang and start the second semester off right and see what we can do.”

                The Cougar women, who sport a 12-3 record, will return to action Friday when they host Northwest Kansas Technical College at 5:30 p.m. followed by a 2 p.m. tilt with McCook Community College on Saturday.

                The Cougar men will also be in action both days at Cougar Palace, taking on No. 5 North Platte Community College on Friday and then McCook on Saturday at 4 p.m. Friday’s contests are also free to the public.

                Vasquez said the women’s team is ready for the second semester.

                “We just need to come out and play every team like we normally would,” she said. “We can’t take any team lightly. We just have to play our hardest.”

                The Cougars enter the new year on the heels of a Trinidad State loss on Dec. 14, 80-69, that definitely left a sting in the team’s Holiday spirits. And that sting is still there.

                “The loss definitely has really motivated us,” Vasquez said. “It has motived the players and the coaches.”

                Since the Cougar women got back last Saturday, they have been working hard to finetune their game. The one area that Vasquez said the team has really sharpened is their defense.

                “We are anxious to get going,” Vasquez said. “We have been having long practices working mainly on defense. Coach has said we have become a lot stronger on defense. With defense comes offense so when you play defense right, your offense should fall into place.”

                WNCC is still one of the top defensive teams in the region, giving up 56.2 points a game while scoring at a clip of 77.3 points. The Cougars offensive has been sizzling as of late, minus the loss to Trinidad, where they are 7-0 when they scored 75 points or more.

                A big share of the Cougars offense comes from four players averaging nine or points a game. Ashley Stevens leads the way at 15.1 points followed by Laurin Rivera at 11.5, Lile Havili at 10.5, and Shalisa Moffit at 8.5.

A big percentage of the Cougars offense has come from beyond the arc, where they have already connected on 71 3-pointers (35.9 percent). Moffit has connected on 21 treys, followed by Lyndie Puckett with 15, and Vazques with 13.

                WNCC will have three games in five days, two of which are sub-region contests. Friday’s opponent, Northwest Kansas, comes in with a 2-17 record, including dropping its last four games where they allowed an average of 84.25 points.

                McCook enters with a 2-14 record. The Indians picked up their second win on Tuesday when they smoked the Nebraska All-stars 74-13. The Indians will play Eastern Wyoming College on Friday before facing WNCC on Saturday afternoon.

                The Cougars will also host Northeastern Junior College on Tuesday in what has become a south sub-region rivalry game. The Plainswomen are 7-7 this year while the Plainsmen come in with a 13-2 mark.

                Unlike the Cougar women, the men will have two sub-region games with both contests huge in sub-region standings. North Platte enters with a 12-0 overall mark and tops in the sub-region at 4-0. McCook is right behind at 11-4 overall and 3-1 in the sub-region.

                The Cougars, who have won five straight and five of their last six games, are sitting third in the region and two wins this weekend will move the team in the driver’s seat to win the sub-region and host the regional tournament in March.

WNCC softball team holding Chili Supper on Jan. 11

                The Western Nebraska Community College softball team will be holding a Chili Supper from 1-5 p.m. this Saturday, Jan. 11 at the WNCC Cougar Den. The Chili Supper costs just $5 and includes all-you-can-eat chili, dessert, and a drink.

                The WNCC women’s and men’s basketball team will host McCook Community College that afternoon beginning at 2 p.m. in key sub-region games so what better way to enjoy chili and cheer on the basketball teams to a victory.

                The softball team chili supper is an annual event. Tickets can be purchased from any Cougar softball player or at the door.

                Also, there will be a silent auction at this year’s event. Items include autographed softball, team picture, and Cougar/WNCC goodie bags.

WNCC men post 10th win of the season with 115-68 win over YMCA All-stars

                 Tyler Cosbie had a double-double and the Western Nebraska Community College men’s basketball team picked up its 10^th win of the season by connecting on 13 3-pointers while putting six players in double figures in an 115-68 win over the YMCA All-stars Tuesday night at Cougar Palace.

                Crosbie finished with 17 points and 10 assists in the contest, but Crosbie was just one of the players that lit up the arena from both squads. The two combined for 23 treys with WNCC connecting on 13, led by Diante Mitchell’s five 3-pointers.

                The All-stars connected on 10 3-pointers. Kyle Cotton and Julian Garcia each canned four 3-pointers. Cotton, who coaches the Minatare boy’s basketball team, finished with a game-high 26 points.

                Joel Einfeldt, who was one of three Cougars to finish with 19 points along with Derrick Bowers and Brandon Morley, said it was good to just on the court before their big contest against No. 6 North Platte Community College on Friday night.

                “It was good for us to play together after we got back from the break and get us ready for the big games we have this weekend,” Einfeldt said. “I felt like we accomplished some new things that we have been working on in practice and it will get us ready for the weekend.”

                More importantly, though, Tuesday’s win was a team effort where all eight players suited up contributed and nearly all eight finished in double figures. Einfeldt said when they can distribute the ball with the accuracy they did in the game, it makes the game that much more fun.

                “It is really fun to play with each other when we share the ball,” Einfeldt said. “It is fun to play with Tyler and Diante with the way they share the ball and I hope I can be more like them.”

                Einfeldt, who drilled four 3-pointers of their own, said this team is starting to find their groove. The Cougars have now won four straight, including six of their last seven games.

                “We like to shoot the threes,” he said. “We really don’t want to focus just on our three-pointers, we want to focus on our defense and let that be our calling card. We will also keep working on our outside shooting and hopefully that works for us, too.”

                Another key that is driving this Cougar team is an inside-outside game that is becoming hard to stop. Tuesday night, the Cougars shot 64 percent from the field, connecting on 36 2-pointers, while shooting 45 percent from beyond the arc (13-of-29).

                “That [inside-outside game] is hard to guard because other teams will have to focus on our big guys in Julio, DouDou, Brandon, and Youssoupha, and if they focus in on them that leaves us wide open for the three. Once we start hitting those outside shots, it leaves them open, so it really hard to guard.”

                Tuesday’s contest wasn’t easy at the beginning as the All-stars held a 5-4 lead after a 3-pointer by Cotton and a bucket by Gill Trimbull. Mitchell changed the momentum after hitting back-to-back 3-pointers and the Cougars raced to a 16-5 lead.

                While WNCC held the lead after that, the game stayed competitive as the All-stars trailed 18-11 after a Cotton 3-pointer and later 30-16 on an Aaron Fabel bucket. The All-stars later would go on a 6-0 run to trail 45-31 before Einfeldt was fouled after making a 3-pointer and put in a 4-point play to help WNCC to a 56-35 halftime lead.

                WNCC put the game away in the second half as they went on a 13-0 run to lead 75-41 behind six points from Morley.

                Einfeldt said this was a good game heading into Friday’s sub-region contest, especially how this team has grown from the beginning of the season when they lost to three other ranked teams.

                “We are a young team and early on in the season we were trying to figure ourselves out,” he said. “We are not there yet, but we are coming along. We are ready to take on anybody that comes into our gym and likewise going to their place. We are excited for that.”

                WNCC also received 15 points from Mitchell and 10 from Youssoupha Kane to finish out the six players in double figures.

                The YMCA All-stars put three players in double figures. After Cotton’s 26 points, Julian Garcia poured in 14 points followed by Ryan Guzman with 10.

                Friday’s men’s home contest against No. 6 North Platte begins at 7:30 p.m. or following the No. 15-ranked Cougar women’s contest against Northwest Kansas Technical College. Friday is also free admission day at Cougar Palace.

YMCA All-stars                  35 33 – 68

WNCC (10-6)                      56 59 – 115

YMCA ALL-STARS

Chris Guzman 2, Rick Ayala 7, Julian Garcia 14, Ryan Guzman 10, Kyle Cotton 26, Gil Trimbull 3, Brett Meyer 2, Ethan Ayala 4.

WNCC

Tyler Crosbie 17, Youssoupha Kane 10, Diante Mitchell 15, DouDou Gueye 8, Joel Einfeldt 19, Derrick Bowers 19, Brandon Morley 19, Julio Guity 8.