GILLETTE, Wyo. – The Western Nebraska Community College men’s basketball team shot 45 percent from field and earned a 84-65 win over Williston State College on Thursday in the first day of the Border Wars Classic in Gillette, Wyoming. 

                The Cougars had four players in double figures in the win as WNCC went to 7-6 on the season as they get ready to face Dawson Community College on Friday.  

                WNCC’s winning ways started midway in the first half as the two teams were trading buckets left and right. Williston led 13-12 before the Cougars would take a 14-13 lead on a Daniel Bula bucket and then Stephen Ovia would score three straight buckets for a 22-15 lead and the Cougars would never trail again. 

                WNCC led 43-35 at halftime. 

                The second half saw Williston get to with seven at 50-43, but buckets by Kayden Nation and Anthony Simo pushed the lead back to double digits at 54-43. 

                Williston tried a late rally as they got to within seven on a 3-pointer at 67-60 with about five minutes to play. The Cougars responded as they scored the next six points for a 73-60 lead. The Tetons came back with five points to make it 73-65, but WNCC did not allow a Williston point in the final three minutes as they closed out the game on an 11-0 run for the 84-65 win. 

                WNCC was led by Nation with 18 points while Willie Wilson had 17 points. Bula tallied 11, while Nazir Griffin pitched in 10. 

                Bula led the Cougars with nine rebounds while Travis Easterly, Jr., had three assists. 

Williston             34 31 – 65 

WNCC (7-6)       43 41 – 84 

WILLISTON 

Wil Olson 16, Tyson Enget 6, Tyler Best 8, Richard Massey 6, Rex Stirling 18, Mekhi Marks 6, Brady Feller 5. 

WNCC 

Maurice Walker 2, Anthony Simo 5, Nazir Griffin 10, Willie Wilson 17, Daniel Bula 11, Junior Galicia 4, Danilo Glisovic 2, Stephen Ovia 9, Elijah Burney 6, Kayden Nation 18. 

WNCC women give Williston their first loss of season 

                GILLETTE, Wyo. – Western Nebraska Community College and Williston State College entered Thursday’s Border contest with a combined 20-1 record and the contest lived up to its billing as the Cougar women handed the Williston team their first loss of the season with a 71-59 win. 

                WNCC moved to 10-1 on the season while Williston dropped to 11-1. The Cougars will now face Dawson Community College on Friday before finishing up the classic against Miles Community College on Saturday. 

                WNCC, in getting the win, finished with 11 3-pointers in the contest as Helena Kuck buried six treys while leading the Cougars with 18 points. 

                Kuck was one of three Cougars in double figures. Mackenzie Joseph finished with 16 points with three treys, while Ebere Egbirika had 11 points. 

                WNCC did not start the contest hot as Williston State jumped to a 6-0lead. Adelina Urtane then hit a bucket followed by a Kuck trey to start a 12-0 run that was capped off by seven points from Ebere Egbirika points for a 12-6 lead.  

                After that, the Cougars never relinquished the lead, but the came was close the rest of the way. WNCC led 14-7 on an Egbirika bucket before Williston made it 14-12. WNCC led 22-15 after one period on a Kuck 3-pointer. 

                WNCC went up by double digits in the second quarter at 27-14 to start the period and lead 31-19 on a Gal-La Font bucket. Williston State cut the deficit to six, 35-28 late in the second quarter, but Keyla Cervantes nailed a bucket at the buzzer for a 36-28 lead at the break. 

                The third quarter was a battle as Williston State outscored WNCC 20-18. The Tetons cut the deficit to two points at 47-45 and later at 48-46. WNCC went on a 6-0 run behind five points from Joseph, including a trey to lead after three quarters 54-48. 

                The fourth quarter saw the two teams battle for the first six minutes as Williston cut the deficit to 57-55 before WNCC went up 60-55 on two Joseph free throws with 4:41 to play. The Cougars held the Tetons to just four points in the final five minutes as they closed out the game on a 8-0 run that saw Joseph and Kuck each bury 3-pointers for the 12-point win. 

                WNCC out-rebounded Williston 39-36 as Urtane had seven boards while Faith Walker tallied six. Kuck led the way with four assists while Walker had two blocked shots. 

Williston (11-1)                15 13 20 11 – 59 

WNCC (10-1)                    22 14 18 17 – 71 

WILLISTON 

Elizabeth Field 7, Allison Kunze 1, Taylor Moffat 7, Allie Garcia 6, Canzas Hisbadhorse 15, Cami Harris 13. 

WNCC 

Amiyah Donaldson 7, Helena Kuck 18, Gal-La Font 4, Faith Walker 8, Mackenzie Joseph 16, Ebere Egbirika 11, Keyla Cervantes 2, Laura Montiel 2, Kiley Smich 1, Adelina Urtane 2.