The Western Nebraska Community College women's basketball put five players in double figures and cruised to a 102-33 win over the Nebraska All-stars to close out the Thanksgiving Classic at Cougar Palace Saturday afternoon.
Merle Wiehl led the Cougars in scoring with 19points, including three 3-pointers as the Cougars notched their seventh win of the season to two defeats.
Wiehl was just one of many Cougars to hit the scoring column. Four other notched double figures. Anyssia Gibbs finished with 16 points with four 3-pointers, while Taylor Joplin had 15 points. R'Manie Pulling and Allysah Boothe each had 10 points.
Gibbs said that when her team moves the ball, good things happen. That has happened this weekend.
"When the ball moves, good things happen," the freshman from Apple Valley, California, said. "We play best when everyone gets a touch and everyone has opportunities to succeed. The team played together this weekend. Everyone saw the floor and we moved in unison. That's why we were successful."
The offensive talent on the team is explosive with anyone capable of putting up double-figure stats.
"Most everyone on the team is capable offensively but we put ourselves in the best position to win when we place as much value on the defensive end as we do the offensive," Gibbs said.
The Cougars jumped out to a 5-0 lead before the Nebraska All-stars Ashley (Stevens) Fenning hit a bucket. That was as close as the All-stars would get as WNCC went on a 15-2 run to lead 20-4 and led 36-12 after one quarter.
WNCC opened the second quarter on an 18-0 run to lead 54-12 behind 3-pointers by Wiehl and Joplin. WNCC led at halftime 64-18.
WNCC led 84-26 after three quarters before outscoring the All-stars 18-7 in the final frame for the win.
WNCC shot 55 percent from the field including making 15 3-pointers. The All-stars were 19 percent from the field.
WNCC held a 54-34 rebounding advantage. Gibbs led the Cougars with nine boards while Tishara Morehouse, Pulling, and Yuliyana Valcheva each had five.
The Cougars shared the ball well, finishing with 34 assists while recording 13 steals. Booth had nine assists to lead the way followed by Morehouse with five. Wiehl had four steals.
The All-stars were led in scoring by former Cougar and Bridgeport High School standout Ashley Fenning with 16 points. Chalsey Grentz was next in line with five points.
WNCC will be back in action Tuesday when they host the Colorado State Club team at 6 p.m. before going on the road to face an undefeated Eastern Wyoming College team on Friday at 5:30 p.m.
Gibbs said they will need to be ready next weekend against EWC.
"We're unstoppable when we are focused," she said. "As long as we keep our eyes on the prize and work together as a unit, we put ourselves in a good position."
Nebraska All-stars 12 6 8 7 -- 33
WNCC 36 28 20 18 -- 102
NEBRASKA ALL-STARS
Chalsey Grentz 4, Ashley Guzman 2, Morgan Broussard 2, DeNae Quijas 3, Jessica Miller 2, Stephanie Perez 3, Shawna Quevado-Huck 1, Ashley Fenning 16.
WNCC
Tishara Morehouse 9, Merle Wiehl 19, Allysah Boothe 10, Kolby Underwood 7, Anyssia Gibbs 16, R'Manie 10, Eva Langton 2, Yuliyana Valcheva 8, Taylor Joplin 15, Yaidelis Torres 6.