The 23rd-ranked Western Nebraska Community College women's basketball team had little trouble with Lamar Community College in a Region IX South sub-region contest Friday night, holding the Lopes to single digits in all four quarters in earning the 102-25 win at Cougar Palace.
WNCC's depth and defense ruled supreme in the win, holding Lamar to 8 percent shooting (3-of-38) and never looked back from the get-go for the Cougars' 22nd win of the season and 10th straight.
WNCC will look to lock up the No. 1 seed from the South when they host Northeastern Junior College Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. WNCC is 7-0 in the sub-region and NJC is 6-1. A win will give the Cougars the top seed and the host of the Region IX women's tournament in March.
The Cougars shot 46.3 percent in the win while connecting on 15 3-pointers. WNCC's first four buckets were all treys as they held a 12-2 lead. The Cougars then went on a 14-0 run to lead 23-2 and 29-3 after one quarter.
WNCC outscored Lamar 28-8 in the second quarter to hold a commanding 57-10 halftime lead.
The second half was just as dominating against a Lamar team that had just seven players suited up. WNCC led 73-12 at one time in the third and led 79-18 after three.
The fourth quarter saw the Cougars hit the century mark on an Anyssia Gibbs bucket.
All 11 WNCC players scored in the contest with three in double figures. Merle Wiehl led the way with 24 points including four 3-pointers. Wiehl also pulled down six rebounds and dished off four assists.
Gibbs also tallied 14 points with four rebounds, while Tishara Morehouse finished with 11 points and five assists.
Lamar 3 7 8 7 – 25
WNCC (22-3) 29 28 22 23 – 102
LAMAR
Sapphire Dawson 3, LaZaria Roby 4, Rajae Drew 4, Hanna Diaz 6, Anaya Matthews 8.
WNCC
Tishara Morehouse 11, Merle Wiehl 24, Allysah Booth 9, Andrijana Reljic 7, Kolby Underwood 5, Anyssia Gibbs 14, R'Manie Pulling 2, Eva Langton 6, Yuliyana Valcheva 7, Taylor Joplin 8, Yaidelis Torres 9.