LAJUNTA, Colo. – The 4th-ranked Western Nebraska Community College women's basketball team wrapped up the No. 1 seed from the South Sub-region with a 78-61 win over Otero College Sunday afternoon in LaJunta, Colorado.
The Cougars have won 18 straight contests and are a perfect 14-0 against Region IX teams. WNCC is 7-0 in the South Sub-region and McCook Community College is second at 5-3.
WNCC has three regular season contests left when they travel to Northeastern Junior College on Tuesday and then face Lamar Community College on Thursday on the road. The Cougar women will close out the regular season with a Feb. 21 home contest against Northeastern Junior College.
Sunday the Cougar women led from start to finish as they put four players in double figures.
The first quarter was slow as WNCC led 6-0 and later 12-5 on a Rashaan Smith bucket. The Cougars buried their first 3-pointer to make it 15-9 on a Ale'Jah Douglas trey to end the first quarter.
The second quarter saw WNCC explode to a 23-9 lead and led 31-15 after back-to-back treys from Amani Brown and Shanti Henry. WNCC led 38-23 at halftime.
The second quarter saw the Cougars jump to a 52-27 lead before Otero put together a run where they sliced the lead to 16 points at the end of the third period 56-40.
WNCC came back in the fourth quarter with the long ball as Brown had two treys and Douglas had another for a 71-46 lead. WNCC added 3-pointers by Henry and Breanna Fowler to lead 78-55 on the way to the 78-61 win.
Martrice Brooks led the way for the Cougars with 17 points followed by Brown with 14. Henry and Douglas each had 12 points.
WNCC buried 12 3-pointers in the contest. Henry had four treys while Douglas, Brown, and Payton Fields all had two.
WNCC (23-1) 15 23 18 22 – 78
Otero 9 14 17 21 – 61
WNCC
Ale'Jah Douglas 12, Amani Brown 14, Martrice Brooks 17, Shanti Henry 12, Payton Fields 8, Breanna Fowler 3, Ashley Panem 3, Mia Jaye Sarkodee-Adoo 3, Rashaan Smith 6.