The Western Nebraska Community College men's basketball team buried 15 3-pointers in shooting past the Nebraska All-stars in day two of the Thanksgiving Classic at Cougar Palace Saturday afternoon.

                The Cougars led 52-23 at halftime before winning 113-81 over the All-stars for WNCC's sixth win of the season.

                The two teams combined for 30 3-pointers as both teams combined for 119 second-half points.

                WNCC put five players in double figures while the Nebraska All-stars had four players hit for double figures.

                Trent Harris and Bryce Sanchious each had 16 points in the win. Harris knocked home four 3-pointers while Sanchious was 7 of 10 from the field.

                Also hitting for double digits included Marko Rajanovic, who nailed four 3-pointers, while Austin Hoffman pitched in 13 points with three treys. Peter Cherry came off the bench late and erupted for 13 points, including going 5-of-5 from the field.

                Sanchious said the Cougars played well on Saturday, but they need to play better defense on Monday when they host Williston State.

                "The team played with great intensity and we pushed the ball down the floor for wide open shots and layups," he said. "For Monday, we will have to play with some intensity, play defense and push the ball."

                The Cougars held a commanding 52-23 lead at halftime and the second half became a track meet. But it wasn't easy early on as WNCC held a slim 15-10 lead over the all-stars. That was when the Cougars went on a 35-8 run to lead 50-18.

                The second half was an offensive track meet. The Cougars barely outscored the Nebraska All-stars, outscoring them 61-58 in the second half. Both teams sizzled the net in the second half. WNCC buried 10 treys and shot 54 percent from the field. The All-stars buried 12 3-pointers in the second half while shooting 62 percent from the field.

                At one time in the second half, the Cougars buried six 3-pointers of eight makes. Rajanovic had three treys, Hoffman two, and Harris one during that stretch that pushed the lead to 84-35. After that, it was a race up and down the court as neither tam seemed to miss.

                The two team's 30 combined treys saw three Cougars and four Nebraska All-star players knock home two or more threes. Six different Cougars buried a trey while the All-stars had eight players bury a long-range shot. Zac Bibb had four treys to go with his 14 points. Ryan Guzman buried three 3-pointers to go with his 13 points, while Brennen Miller had two treys and 12 points. Juan Morales also had two 3-pointers, while Bo McVay, Taylor Lackey, Chris Guzman, and Jamie Guzman each had one tray.

                Gonzalez led the All-stars with 15 points.

                WNCC also hit the boards, outrebounding the All-stars 52-33. Milos Popovic led the team with seven boards, while Rashad Gillion and Rajanovic each cleaned the glass with six.

                The Cougars also shared the ball, collecting 32 assists. Rashad Gillion dished out 11 assists, while Sanchious had six assists.

                WNCC will be back in action Monday when they host Williston State College in a women's and men's doubleheader beginning at 5:30 p.m.

                In the first game of the day, Trinidad State came back from a 29-25 halftime deficit to earn a hard-fought 75-72 win over Frank Phillips. The Trojans shot 47 percent from the field and were a clutch 20 of 25 from the free throw line in the win.

                Frank Phillips was 44 percent from the field but buried just 12 of 19 free throws.

First Game

Frank Phillips                      29 43 – 72

Trinidad State                    25 50 – 75

FRANK PHILLIPS
Jaquez Lyons 17, Demetrius Clark 11, Marquise Kindel 4, Kent Thomas 15, Justin Milstead 6, Knowledge Darby 11, Jeremy Betjol 3, Joe Nobles 2, Kwame McBean 3.

TRINIDAD STATE

Job Alexander 15, Tykeem Anderson 17, Charles Henderson 5, Trevell Cunningham 4, Rene Alelendez 4, Cole Lawrence 4, Jesus Martinez 13, Issac Essein 4, Ian Kelly 9

Second Game

Nebraska All-stars            23 58 – 81

WNCC (6-2)                         52 61 – 113

ALL-STARS

Bo McVay 7, Brennen Miller 12, Dillon Pakele 4, Taylor Lackey 5, Zac Bibb 14, Ryan Guzman 13, Chris Guzman 5, Jaime Gonzalez 15, Juan Morales 6.

WNCC
Peter Cherry 13, Milos Popovic 5, Trent Harris 16, Bryce Sanchious 16, Vinnie Shahid 3, Marlon Sierra 8, Marko Rajanovic 15, Austin Hoffman 13, Jervay Green 6, Djodje Dimitrijevic 5, Zane Bender 7, Martin Roub 6.