The Western Nebraska Community College men's basketball team had a team effort win for their seventh win of the season with an 87-68 win over Jump Start Academy to wrap up the WNCC Classic Saturday evening at Cougar Palace.
CJ Johnson and Carl Thorpe led the team with 15 points each in the win. Thorpe had a double-double with 10 rebounds. Also scoring in double digits were Ahmari Samuel and Stephen Ovia each with 13 points.
More importantly, all the players that saw action scored in the win.
"I feel like we played very well," Johnson said. "We had a slow start and had troubles, but we all came together and pulled together to get the win."
Slow starts have been something that Cougars have had in past games this season. Johnson said they need to learn to play a full 40 minutes so they don't have to fight to come back.
"We have to learn to play hard for 40 minutes instead of starting the engine up later on," Johnson said. "The main thing is we need to be one when we get out there on the court. That is something that we need to work on when we get back on the practice court."
Johnson said that the win shows the depth on the team as several players contributed in different fashions. All 13 players that saw action scored. After the four in double figures, Dimitrije Nikolic and Zach O'Callaghan each had eight points.
"We are a very talented team and the skies the limit," Johnson said. "I feel like we can put things together and everyone can score."
Jump Start stayed with WNCC for much of the first quarter as they led 9-5 and 12-10. WNCC took a 25-19 lead with 8:53 to play on a Rodney Sawyer dunk, but the Jump Start Snow Foxes answered with a trey to make it 25-22. WNCC then went on a 13-0 run to lead 38-22 and led at intermission 45-33.
Jump Start made the second half interesting as the Snow Foxes came out of the locker room on a 9-0 run to trail the Cougars 45-42. Biko Johnson stopped Jump Start's run with a bucket with 16:31 to play.
WNCC went up 52-44 on Thorpe's four free throws and pushed the lead to 65-49 on a bucket by O'Callaghan. WNCC led 80-66 late and closed out the game with a 7-2 run for the 87-68 win.
WNCC shot 51% from the field and buried seven 3-pointers. Jump Start shot 37% and made eight treys.
WNCC also had a 45-37 rebound advantage as Thorpe had 10 boards followed by Enzo Clouvel-Urie with seven and Samuel with four.
The Cougars will be back in action Tuesday when they travel to Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne, Wyoming, to wrap up the first semester.
The other men's game of the WNCC Classic was a classic as Northwest outscored Otero 55-39 in the second half to force overtime tied at 86 all. The overtime period saw Otero earn the win by outsourcing the Trappers 10-7 in claiming the 96-93 overtime victory.
Jumpstart 33 35 – 68
WNCC 45 42 – 87
JUMPSTART
Austin Young 15, Tyler Boyack 13, Ben Hunt 12, Payton Lloyd 9, Tyler Scoresby 9, Stockton Lloyd 5, Alex Lott 5.
WNCC
Carl Thorpe 15, CJ Johnson 15, Ahmari Samuel 13, Stephen Ovia 13, Dimitrijie Nikolic 8, Zach O'Calaghan 8, Biko Johnson 4, Caio Monteiro 3, Enzo Clouvel -Urie 2, Maurice Walker 2, Sergio Burchell 2, Rodney Sawyer 2.