The Western Nebraska Community College women's basketball team put together a solid outing as the Cougars captured their eighth straight win with a 78-60 win over Northeastern Junior College Saturday afternoon on sophomore recognition day at Cougar Palace.
WNCC moved to 21-8 on the season and 9-1 in South Sub-region play as they get ready to host the Region IX tournament March 9-11.
The win saw WNCC lead from start to finish and had a strong first quarter to set the tone the rest of the night.
Rashaan Smith, one of the sophomores recognized who finished with 15 points on the day, said the team played well.
"I think we did really well. We did exactly what we needed to do to come out with a win," Smith said. "The defense was really solid and there is still a couple of things we need to work on for regionals, but at the end of the day it is always good to get a win."
The Cougars will now have 10 days off before regionals and for the sophomores who used up their eligibility this year, today was a special moment. But Smith said their goal for the season is not complete.
"It means a lot to go out with a bang at The Palace in winning our last regular season home game," Smith said. "(Sophomore day) was really special because it was nice to see everyone's family come out from different areas in America and the world to watch their kids play and my family was watching on the livestream. It was special to have friends and family here to support everybody. It is a good feeling."
The six sophomores that were recognized before the start of the game included Smith, Shiho Isono, Yara Garcia, Bre Fowler, Imana Harris, and Mia Jaye Skarkodee-Adoo.
Saturday afternoon, the Cougar women took care of business as they put three in double figures and buried eight 3-pointers from six different shooters in posting the win.
Mackenzie Joseph led the way with 17 points including eight rebounds and burying three treys. Smith was next with 15 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the charity stripe, and Isono had 10 points with five assists.
What was key in the win was the Cougars' defense, holding NJC to just six first-quarter points.
WNCC opened the game on a bucket by Smith and a 3-pointer by Shiho Isono, another one of the sophomores. WNCC led 10-6 and then went on a 12-0 run holding NJC scoreless for the four minutes of the quarter to lead 22-6.
As well as the Cougars played in the first quarter, the second quarter was not their cup of tea and Smith said they have to learn to play strong for four quarters. WNCC was outscored 17-10 in the second quarter, but still held a 32-23 halftime lead.
The third quarter was slow-paced at the start as both teams were trading buckets. Finally, WNCC went on a 10-5 run to open the game to 46-30 behind back-to-back buckets by Isono and a 3-pointer by Ola Duda. WNCC led 59-38 after three quarters.
The fourth quarter saw NJC score the first five points before WNCC scored seven straight including a 3-pointer by Garcia. The Cougars never looked back after that in posting the 79-60 win.
The Cougar women will now have 10 days off before the regional tournament and Smith said they will practice hard to get ready for the opportunity to win a regional title.
"Our goal is to win, honestly, but (over the next 10 days) we will rest and have a lot of practice," she said. "It is more of a mental game than a physical game because we have to stay locked in and hopefully we can come away with a win."
NJC 6 17 15 22 – 60
WNCC 22 10 27 19 – 78
NJC
Seneya Martinez 15, Dalys McGuinnes 8, Jailyn Potts 6, Genesis Sweetwine 11, Alexandra Westerdijk 6, Kelsey Koza 3, Kenzie Kraich 1, Amya Winfrey 10.
WNCC
Shiho Isono 10, Jayla Owen 8, Yara Garcia 5, Bre Fowler 6, Rashaan Smith 15, Emmie Persson-Bandh 3, Mackenzie Joseph 17, Ola Duda 7, Faith Walker 7.