GILLETTE, Wyo. – The Western Nebraska Community College men's basketball team dropped an 81-72 decision to Dawson Community College in the first day of the Gillette Border Wars Classic at Gillette, Wyoming, Friday evening.

                The loss drops WNCC's record to 6-3 while Dawson moves to 9-1 and winners of their last six games.

                The WNCC men and women will be back in action Saturday in the second day of the Border Wars Classic when both teams face Williston State College. The women tip off at 10 a.m. followed by the men at 11:45 a.m. The two teams will then wrap up the Border Wars Classic with Sunday games against Miles Community College with the men playing at 5 p.m. and the women at 6:45 p.m.

                Friday's contest saw WNCC jump out to a 19-12 lead only to watch Dawson tied the contest at 19-19. Agwa Nywesh put the Cougars back in front at 22-19 on an old-fashioned 3-point play.

                Dawson took the lead at 23-22 with about seven minutes to play in the half and never look back as they led at halftime 38-30.

                The second half saw Rodney Sawyer hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the deficit to 38-36. Dawson went back up 47-42 only to watch WNCC get back to within one, 47-46, on buckets by Nywesh and Sawyer.

                Dawson then went on a 14-0 run to lead 61-46. WNCC kept fighting as they came back to trail by two at 70-68 on a bucket by Carl Thorpe. That was as close as WNCC got as Dawson went on to win 81-72.

                Biko Johnson led the Cougars in scoring with 20 points followed by Nywesh with 13, Them Koang with 10, Sawyer with 10, and Thorpe with nine.

WNCC (6-3)         30 42 – 72

Dawson (9-1)     38 43 – 81

WNCC

Biko Johnson 20, Agwa Nywesh 13, Them Koang 10, Carl Thorpe 9, Rodney Sawyer 10, Chancelor Johnson 6, Carter Brown 4.