The Western Nebraska Community College men’s basketball team lost another heartbreaker Saturday afternoon, falling to Otero Junior College 99-93 in overtime at Cougar Palace.

It was the teams’ fourth overtime loss in the last eight games. Trey Moore, who finished with nine points and eight assists, said the team competed hard to tie the game at 82-82 to force overtime, but they just need to learn to finish.

“We played hard but it is our fourth overtime loss and I was pretty sure that we would have won one sometime,” Moore said. “It was big of us to come back, but we have to finish the game. “

The way the Cougars came back to force overtime was thrilling. The Cougars didn’t take their first lead of the contest until the 13:14 mark of the second half on a Charles Ward bucket. The Cougars were then down by as much as five points on different occasions with a minute to play when things started to turn their way.

Ward was the catalyst of the comeback as he hit a 3-pointer off an inbounds play to slice the lead to 80-78. Moments later, Ward stole the ball and dunked home the tying bucket. Otero came back and went ahead 82-80 with 21.3 seconds to play on two free throws by Yoshio Allen. WNCC answered as Tahir Little found a small gap underneath the bucket with 9.4 seconds to play to tie the game at 82-82.

Otero had a chance to win it at the end of regulation but the Cougars came through with two blocks to force the extra period.

Moore said the way the team came back, never giving up after the Rattlers opened the game with five straight 3-pointers, shows a lot of heart with this team.

“Those blocks were a big momentum changer because they still had time so we couldn’t celebrate after Ty made that shot. We got back and got the stop and send it into overtime,” Moore said. “We just need to get over that hump and come together as a team and make some shots in overtime.”

The Cougars were led in scoring by Ward with 37 points. Ward was 10 of 11 from the field, including four 3-pointers. WNCC also saw Quante Cooley finish with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Cody Johnson has 12 points.

The Cougars did out-rebound the Rattlers 40-39 and also dished out 26 assists. Little led the team in assists with nine followed by Moore with eight.

The sub-region heart-breaking loss drops the team to 1-3 in the south sub-region, but they still are not out of a top finish for the regional tournament as they have plenty of sub-region games left.

“We still can win sub-regions with three losses, so we have to take it one game at a time,” Moore said. “We have to just get over that hump, dig deep and just keep going. We battled the whole game out there today, but we just have to finish games.”

Still, it is vital that that Cougars learn to close out a game. Look at it this way, if the Cougars would have won the four overtime games, their 7-10 record would be 11-6. On top of everything, the road doesn’t get any easier as they host Eastern Wyoming on Tuesday in another sub-region contest.

“We will get rested up with our Sunday break and then come back Monday, practice hard and prepare for them,” Moore said. “We don’t want another loss at home.”

Tuesday’s home contest begins at 7:30 p.m. and after that, the Cougars won’t be home again until Feb. 8-9 against Lamar Community College and Northeastern Junior College.

 

Otero                    41 41 18 – 99

WNCC                   36 46 11 – 93

OTERO

Chris Golden 17, Perryonte Smith 13, Kentwan Smith 17, Terrel Brown 10, Andre Reider 14, Alex Padgett 6, Yoshio Allen 20, Daniel Hield 2.

WNCC

Tahir Little 7, Zach Clemens 4, Quante Cooley 16, Trey Moore 9, Charles Ward 37, Cody Johnson 12, Youssoupha Kane 6, Chad Calcaterra 2.

SILVER CITY, N.M. – Western New Mexico’s Chad Carter scored 24 points and two others joined him in double figures as the Mustangs    turned back road weary Chadron State College 75-65 Saturday night at Drag’s Court.

The Eagles, now 1-14 overall and 1-10 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, played in a double overtime game Friday evening at New Mexico Highlands and then arrived in Silver City, N.M., early Saturday morning.

On Saturday, CSC was also missing its second-leading scorer – Grant Stone – to an ankle injury and they lost starter Kendrick Holliman with an apparent shoulder injury in the first half.

However, the Eagles played well in a tightly contested game. The two teams traded the lead eight times and it featured six ties before Western New Mexico pulled away down the stretch.

In the second half, Western New Mexico (6-10, 5-7 RMAC) shot 48 percent from the field and made 12 of 15 from the charity stripe.

In addition to Carter’s 24 points, Juan Suarez scored 12 points and Lucio Luttrell added 11 more.

Zac Bargen, who entered the weekend as the RMAC’s leading scorer, led Chadron State with 20 points and added six rebounds and three assists.

Also for Chadron State, Kyle Vinich scored 14 points and had five rebounds, David Downey scored five points and grabbed a team-high seven boards and Dominique Watkins scored eight points.

Chadron State will host CSU-Pueblo and the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs Friday and Saturday in Chadron. Both men’s games start at 8 p.m.

SILVER CITY, N.M. – Five Western New Mexico women’s basketball players scored at least nine points and the Mustangs used a 25-3 scoring run in the first half en route to their 72-44 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference victory over Chadron State Saturday at Drag’s Court.

Morgan Wohltman scored 15 points and Heather Hamilton and Kassie Scott each scored 11 points to lead a balanced scoring attack. All eight Western New Mexico players scored and the Mustangs shot over 42 percent from the field and nailed 10 3-point shots.

The Eagles, now 3-12 overall and 3-8 in the conference, led 11-4 early in the first half but the Mustangs erupted on a 25-3 scoring run and led 36-20 at halftime.

In the second half, Western New Mexico continued to put the pressure on the Eagles’ defense and increased its lead to as many as 29 points.

Chadron State also had eight players score but Kattie Ranta, who finished with 12, was the only player in double figures. Ranta also finished with a team-high six rebounds.

Also for Chadron State, Dallas Shaw finished with nine points and Kate Simonton and Sadie Waugh chipped in six apiece.

The Eagles will host Colorado State University-Pueblo Friday and the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs Saturday in Chadron. Both women’s games tip-off at 6 p.m.

LAS VEGAS, N.M. – New Mexico Highlands’ Augustus French’s triple double of 16 points, 10 rebounds and 12 blocks helped spur the Cowboys to an 89-86 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference victory over Chadron State College in double overtime Friday.

While French’s triple double stole the show, he received plenty of help. Mannie Cass scored 24 points and Lavell McDade scored 20 more as the Cowboys made free throws down the stretch in regulation and both overtime periods to upend the Eagles.

The Eagles had a chance to tie the game in double overtime as time expired but the shot rimmed out.

Zac Bargen scored a career-high 33 points and Kyle Vinich added 19 points, also a career-high, to lead Chadron State.

“This is the best game we’ve played, especially on the road,” CSC head coach Brent Bargen said following the game. “I’m disappointed we didn’t get the win but I’m proud of my team.”

In regulation, the Cowboys trailed 69-66 with less than a minute to play but Cass was fouled on a 3-point attempt and sank all three of his attempts to tie the game.

The Eagles had a chance to score but Highlands gathered the defensive rebound with 25 seconds to play. However, Chadron State’s defense stood strong in the final possession of regulation and the two squads headed to the extra session.

In the first overtime, the Eagles nailed two quick 3-pointers but Highlands chipped away and managed to tie it at 79-79 from the foul line once again.

Chadron State took a quick lead after Bargen sank a trey to open the second overtime but French tied the game for the 10^th time after sinking both free throws. The Cowboys then added a quick 3-pointer from Dominick Baca following a CSC turnover and McDade put them up 88-83 with a minute and a half to play after a steal and a layup.

Bargen hit a 3-pointer on the Eagles’ next possession – his sixth of the game – but the Eagles couldn’t get any closer.

In addition to career nights from Bargen and Vinich, Chadron State’s David Downey scored 15 points and hauled in seven rebounds.

Also for Chadron State, Chris Taylor scored seven points and grabbed eight boards and dished out four assists, while Kendrick Holliman and Justyn Anderson scored six apiece.

BOYS BASKETBALL
Alliance 52, Ogallala 39
Aquinas 63, Hastings St. Cecilia 36
Arlington 57, Douglas County West 40
Ashland-Greenwood 61, Syracuse 47
Axtell 51, Wilcox-Hildreth 48, OT
Blair 67, Elkhorn 62
Bloomfield 47, Hartington 46
Boone Central/Newman Grove 62, Ord 44
Boys Town 76, Nebraska City 63
Brady 52, SMC 43, OT
Bruning-Davenport/Shickley 56, Exeter/Milligan 51
Centennial 42, Heartland 38
Clarinda, Iowa 47, Auburn 32
Clearwater/Orchard 76, Osmond 45
Columbus 58, Lincoln North Star 57, OT
Columbus Lakeview 51, Schuyler 35
Columbus Scotus 67, Archbishop Bergan 53
Creighton 68, Elkhorn Valley 36
Crofton 64, Plainview 38
Deshler 37, Harvard 22
Doniphan-Trumbull 78, Superior 43
Elkhorn South 61, Waverly 58, OT
Elm Creek 70, Pleasanton 37
Ewing 42, Elgin Public/Pope John 41
Fillmore Central 49, Tri County 31
Fort Calhoun 72, Conestoga 41
Gering 56, Chadron 55
Gibbon 46, Centura 42
Gordon/Rushville 65, Cody-Kilgore 40
Gothenburg 55, Broken Bow 39
Grand Island Northwest 47, Hastings 39
High Plains Community 76, Lawrence-Nelson 44
Holdrege 59, Minden 53
Homer 52, Wisner-Pilger 44
Humphrey 42, Lyons-Decatur Northeast 31
Hyannis 41, Arthur County 35
Johnson-Brock 78, Friend 45
Kenesaw 67, Franklin 32
Laurel-Concord 54, West Holt 52
Lincoln Lutheran 47, Bishop Neumann 40
Lincoln Pius X 60, Lincoln Christian 57, OT
Lincoln Southeast 57, Kearney 48
Lincoln Southwest 61, Lincoln East 57
Logan View 52, Stanton 34
Lutheran High Northeast 71, Clarkson/Leigh 46
McCool Junction 48, Osceola 42
Meridian 50, Hampton 48
Milford 54, Elmwood-Murdock 34
Millard South 59, Papillion-LaVista South 47
Millard West 75, Omaha North 68
Mitchell 64, Bayard 45
Mullen 47, Twin Loup 37
Norris 46, Bennington 43
North Platte 69, Grand Island 59
Oakland-Craig 58, North Bend Central 33
Omaha Burke 51, Norfolk 44
Omaha Central 51, Omaha Creighton Prep 33
Omaha Concordia 55, St. Albert, Council Bluffs, Iowa 51
Omaha South 77, Omaha Northwest 36
Overton 71, Eustis-Farnam 40
Palmyra 70, East Butler 45
Papillion-LaVista 64, Bellevue West 39
Pawnee City 65, Falls City Sacred Heart 57
Ponca 54, Bancroft-Rosalie 45
Randolph 71, Neligh-Oakdale 20
Ravenna 54, Loup City 43
Red Cloud 51, Silver Lake 43
Scribner-Snyder 56, Omaha Christian Academy 50
Seward 64, Aurora 59, OT
Shelby/Rising City 52, Dorchester 48, OT
Sidney 56, Bridgeport 43
Sterling 47, Southern 31
Stuart 51, Arcadia 38
Wahoo 65, Norfolk Catholic 39
Wakefield 54, Emerson-Hubbard 31
Wausa 68, Winside 26
Wayne 55, Hartington Cedar Catholic 40
West Point-Beemer 52, Twin River 38
Wilber-Clatonia 36, Malcolm 34
Wood River 54, Central City 44
York 58, Fairbury 44
Colby Classic Tournament
Semifinal
McCook 43, Hays, Kan. 30
Nebraska Native American Tournament
Winnebago 79, Santee 63
River Cities Conference Tournament
Fifth Place
Ralston 51, Beatrice 47

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Anselmo-Merna 23, North Central 20
Arlington 62, Douglas County West 38
Ashland-Greenwood 44, Syracuse 27
Axtell 57, Wilcox-Hildreth 32
Bancroft-Rosalie 71, Ponca 64
Bellevue West 58, Papillion-LaVista 45
Boone Central/Newman Grove 54, Ord 34
Brady 55, SMC 25
Centennial 37, Heartland 28
Central City 47, Wood River 42, 2OT
Centura 44, Gibbon 24
Chadron 49, Gering 29
Columbus 54, Lincoln North Star 33
Columbus Lakeview 66, Schuyler 39
Creighton 65, Elkhorn Valley 41
Crofton 68, Plainview 27
Deshler 68, Harvard 10
East Butler 47, Palmyra 38
Elkhorn 55, Blair 36
Elm Creek 54, Pleasanton 42
Emerson-Hubbard 48, Wakefield 43
Ewing 55, Elgin Public/Pope John 47
Exeter/Milligan 60, Bruning-Davenport/Shickley 49
Falls City Sacred Heart 40, Pawnee City 29
Fillmore Central 58, Tri County 18
Fort Calhoun 56, Conestoga 31
Friend 63, Johnson-Brock 39
Gordon/Rushville 65, Cody-Kilgore 24
Gothenburg 38, Broken Bow 30
Grand Island Northwest 72, Hastings 27
Hampton 64, Meridian 47
Hartington 60, Bloomfield 43
Hastings St. Cecilia 54, Aquinas 41
High Plains Community 39, Lawrence-Nelson 37
Homer 68, Wisner-Pilger 8
Howells/Dodge 56, Tekamah-Herman 34
Humphrey 65, Lyons-Decatur Northeast 49
Hyannis 53, Arthur County 37
Johnson County Central 37, Auburn 36
Kenesaw 32, Franklin 29
Laurel-Concord 62, West Holt 31
Lincoln High 36, Lincoln Northeast 19
Lincoln Pius X 40, Lincoln Christian 18
Lincoln Southeast 81, Kearney 38
Lincoln Southwest 53, Lincoln East 32
Lutheran High Northeast 36, Clarkson/Leigh 19
Malcolm 62, Wilber-Clatonia 30
Milford 53, Elmwood-Murdock 31
Millard South 43, Papillion-LaVista South 34
Millard West 54, Omaha North 51
Minden 46, Holdrege 41
Mitchell 74, Bayard 32
Norris 53, Bennington 35
North Bend Central 46, Oakland-Craig 27
North Platte 47, Grand Island 35
Ogallala 44, Alliance 41
Omaha Central 68, Omaha Marian 30
Omaha Concordia 46, St. Albert, Council Bluffs, Iowa 25
Omaha Northwest 54, Omaha South 42
Osceola 51, McCool Junction 40
Osmond 53, Clearwater/Orchard 27
Overton 40, Eustis-Farnam 32
Pierce 47, Kearney Catholic 42
Randolph 53, Neligh-Oakdale 39
Ravenna 38, Loup City 17
Seward 43, Aurora 20
Shelby/Rising City 59, Dorchester 13
Sidney 65, Bridgeport 37
Silver Lake 40, Red Cloud 27
Sterling 49, Southern 46, OT
Stuart 54, Arcadia 31
Superior 58, Doniphan-Trumbull 53
Wahoo 46, Norfolk Catholic 43
Waverly 64, Elkhorn South 47
York 43, Fairbury 31
Colby Tournament
Semifinal
McCook 41, Colby, Kan. 28
Goldenrod Conference Tournament
Semifinal
Cedar Valley 46, Palmer 43
Lindsay Holy Family 35, Humphrey St. Francis 27
Panhandle Conference Tournament
Crawford 64, Edgemont, S.D. 34
Sioux County 45, Hemingford 44
River Cities Conference Tournament
Fifth Place
Omaha Duchesne Academy 43, Omaha Roncalli 24
Third Place
Omaha Gross Catholic 57, Omaha Skutt Catholic 45
South Platte Valley Tournament
Semifinal
Hershey 47, Chase County 16
North Platte St. Patrick’s 52, Sutherland 46

CHADRON – The Colorado Mesa University wrestling team won six decisions and added a pin en route to its 24-9 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference victory over Chadron State Thursday at the Nelson Physical Activity Center.

With the win, Mesa, ranked 10th in the latest Division II rankings, improves to 11-1 overall. Chadron State, which had won its four previous duals, falls to 5-4.

“There’s a few spots where we had some letdowns but I think we’re on the right track as the season winds down,” interim head coach Brett Hunter said.

Mesa started the dual out with a 9-3 decision at 125 pounds but the Eagles won the next two bouts to take the lead. Perry McAfee got things started at 133 pounds when he cruised to a 6-4 decision over Tyler Nelson.

Leandro Arias had a tougher time at 141 but the sophomore from Cheyenne, Wyo., scored late in the third period and then took down Drew Schumann early in the sudden victory period to ensure a 5-3 decision.

Mesa then rallied to win the next six matches but the Eagles hung tough in a majority of them.

Jon Gappmaier, the No. 2-ranked wrestler at 157, earned a 7-4 decision over Bruce Zurek and eighth-ranked Dylan Granard followed with a 4-3 decision over Dylan Fors at 165.

Mesa’s other ranked wrestler, Zac Slotten, the eighth-ranked grappler at 174, got a late takedown in the third period to fend off Bret Klopp, 5-3.

Nick Peterssen followed with a 3-1 decision at 184 over Jordan Debus and Jordan Passehl eked out a 7-6 decision over Chris Leak at 197.

The match ended on a high note for the Eagles, though, after Michael Hill controlled Paco Retana en route to a 7-2 win. Hill had two takedowns and rode Retana the entire third period.

No. 10 Colorado Mesa 24, CSC 9
125 – Jonathon Sterling, CMU, dec. Jace Johnson, 9-3
133 – Perry McAfee, CSC, dec. Tyler Nelson, 6-4
141 – Leandro Arias, CSC, dec. Drew Schumann, 5-3 sudden victory
149 – James Martinez, CMU, pinned Reed Burgener, 2:29
157 – No. 2 Jon Gappmaier, CMU, dec. Bruce Zurek, 7-4
165 – No. 8 Dylan Granard, CMU, dec. Dylan Fors, 4-3
174 – No. 8 Zac Slotten, CMU, dec. Bret Klopp, 5-3
184 – Nick Petersen, CMU, dec. Jordan Debus, 3-1
197 – Jordan Passehl, CMU, dec. Chris Leak, 7-6
285 – Michael Hill, CSC, dec. Paco Retana, 7-2

BOYS BASKETBALL
Alliance 51, Chadron 31
Bertrand 63, Maywood 16
Bishop Neumann 56, Blair 50
Boone Central/Newman Grove 55, Columbus Scotus 42
College View Academy 50, Nebraska Lutheran 38
Cozad 48, Lexington 35
Diller-Odell 39, Lawrence-Nelson 38
Dundy County-Stratton 48, Cambridge 44
Ewing 55, Bloomfield 52
Freeman 47, Wilber-Clatonia 45
Gibbon 73, Amherst 45
Giltner 65, Cross County 25
Gretna 58, Plattsmouth 44
Humphrey 58, Madison 41
Johnson County Central 56, Humboldt/Table Rock-Steinauer 46
Laurel-Concord 47, Battle Creek 43
Lincoln Christian 61, Raymond Central 44
Lincoln North Star 54, Lincoln East 44
Lincoln Northeast 44, Lincoln High 43
Lincoln Pius X 62, Crete 27
Loomis 43, Alma 40
Mead 49, Conestoga 35
Medicine Valley 62, Elwood 38
Millard West 53, Millard South 43
Mullen 44, Brady 37
Omaha Benson 68, Bellevue East 42
Omaha Bryan 60, Papillion-LaVista South 46
Omaha Westside 74, Papillion-LaVista 70, OT
Paxton 61, Wauneta-Palisade 40
Pender 43, Wisner-Pilger 39
Sandhills/Thedford 89, Hyannis 35
Sandy Creek 51, Blue Hill 37
Shelton 48, Wood River 39
South Loup 59, Ansley-Litchfield 38
Southern Valley 68, Arapahoe 51
Twin River 52, Clarkson/Leigh 45
Valentine 62, Ainsworth 61
Wallace 66, Arthur County 29
Wausa 52, Allen 19
Weeping Water 55, Omaha Brownell-Talbot 40
Wynot 61, Gayville-Volin, S.D. 23
Yutan 65, Louisville 58
Colby Classic Tournament
McCook 58, Colby, Kan. 26
Goldenrod Conference Tournament
Semifinal
Burwell 53, Spalding/Spalding Academy 38
Minuteman Activities Conference Tournament
Semifinal
Leyton 66, Potter-Dix 41
Minatare 51, Creek Valley 47
Nebraska Native American Tournament
Omaha Nation 53, Walthill 45
Raider Classic Tournament
Semifinal
Falls City 57, Troy, Kan. 21
River Cities Conference Tournament
Semifinal
Omaha Gross Catholic 52, Omaha Skutt Catholic 51
South Sioux City 61, Omaha Roncalli 49
South Platte Valley Association Tournament
Semi-Finals
North Platte St. Patrick’s 53, Perkins County 39

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Ainsworth 52, Valentine 48
Amherst 52, Gibbon 30
Bellevue East 59, Omaha Benson 57
Bertrand 63, Maywood 25
Bishop Neumann 56, Blair 47
Chadron 46, Alliance 24
Clarkson/Leigh 32, Twin River 31
Columbus Scotus 37, Boone Central/Newman Grove 36
Cozad 57, Lexington 39
Cross County 58, Giltner 54
Diller-Odell 59, Lawrence-Nelson 13
Dundy County-Stratton 68, Cambridge 48
Elwood 54, Medicine Valley 31
Ewing 56, Bloomfield 46
Freeman 58, Wilber-Clatonia 25
Grand Island Central Catholic 48, Centura 38
Gretna 65, Plattsmouth 32
Guardian Angels 62, Wayne 38
Humphrey 46, Madison 27
Johnson County Central 43, Humboldt/Table Rock-Steinauer 27
Lafayette (St. Joseph), Mo. 47, Falls City 31
Laurel-Concord 42, Battle Creek 25
Lincoln Christian 44, Raymond Central 34
Lincoln Pius X 45, Crete 43
Loomis 60, Alma 44
Mead 55, Conestoga 45
Millard West 46, Millard South 23
Mullen 46, Brady 43
Nebraska City 34, Omaha Mercy 30
Nebraska Lutheran 37, College View Academy 11
Norfolk 67, Omaha Burke 58
Omaha Christian Academy 41, Boys Town 35
Omaha North 61, Omaha Marian 49
Omaha Westside 60, Papillion-LaVista 53
Papillion-LaVista South 40, Omaha Bryan 38
Pender 57, Wisner-Pilger 29
Sandhills/Thedford 65, Hyannis 30
Sandy Creek 50, Blue Hill 40
Scribner-Snyder 64, Stanton 60
Seward 61, Kearney Catholic 41
Southern Valley 70, Arapahoe 67, OT
Stuart 39, North Central 34
Wallace 54, Arthur County 41
Wauneta-Palisade 38, Paxton 29
Wausa 31, Allen 25
Weeping Water 40, Omaha Brownell-Talbot 22
West Holt 50, Boyd County 46
Wood River 50, Shelton 21
Wynot 69, Gayville-Volin, S.D. 28
Yutan 63, Louisville 46
Colby Tournament
McCook 55, Beloit, Kan. 20
Minuteman Activities Conference Tournament
Semifinal
Creek Valley 37, Potter-Dix 28
Leyton 47, Garden County 29
Nebraska Native American Tournament
Omaha Nation 50, Walthill 25
River Cities Conference Tournament
Consolation Semifinal
Omaha Duchesne Academy 62, Ralston 28
Semifinal
Beatrice 49, Omaha Skutt Catholic 36
South Sioux City 61, Omaha Gross Catholic 51