Cougar notes: Trinidad downs WNCC for Region IX title

                The Trinidad State College men’s basketball team received 28 points from Lateef Patrick as the Trojans won their third straight Region IX title with an 81-56 win over Western Nebraska Community College Saturday evening.

                Trinidad never trailed in the contest and held a commanding 23-2 lead through the first 13 minutes of the opening half. After the slow start, the Cougars started to come back as they out-scored Trinidad 17-14 in the final seven minutes of the half to trail 37-19 at intermission.

                The second half was more of a ball game as WNCC tried coming back as they sliced the deficit to just 15 points on a JJ Harris bucket and an Anthony Simo 3-pointer. Trinidad answered with a 20-4 run to lead 67-36 as Kenyon Elliott hit a big 3-pointer. The Trojans led 70-40 on two free throws by Amir Reeves with 5:20 to play.

                WNCC went on a 10-2 run that saw Willie Wilson get back-to-back buckets and Daniel Bula score four points to make it 72-50. But, everyone run that WNCC made, Trinidad answered and the Trojans had a 5-0 run on five points from Patrick and went on to win 81-56.

                Trinidad shot 42 percent for the game and buried eight 3-pointers. Trinidad was 15-of-19 from the charity stripe and pulled down 55 rebounds.

                WNCC shot 24 percent in the first half and was just 2-of-9 from the 3-point line in that opening quarter. The second half wasn’t much better as the Cougars shot 28 percent and made just 2-of-14 from beyond the arc. WNCC was 10-of-16 from the charity stripe and pulled down 50 rebounds.

                Both teams had just two in double figures. Patrick led the Trojans with 28 points, including six 3-pointers. Keliese Frye had 15 points.

                WNCC got 11 points each from Wilson and Simo, while Travis Easterly, Jr. had eight points.

                Trinidad qualifies for the national tournament beginning next weekend in Hutchison, Kansas.

                In post-tournament honors, WNCC and Trinidad each had four players on the All-Tournament team. Trinidad players making the team included Frye, Patrick, Reaves, and Devin Davenport.

                WNCC players that earned a spot on the all-tourney team included Simo, Harris, Easterly, Jr., and Bula.

                Other members of the all-tourney team included Northwest’s Colin Hayes; Otero’s Tay Mosher; McCook’s Ty Foster and Brandon Kabuya-Mpoyl; Laramie County’s Jordan Reed and Abdullah Mahamed; Casper’s Abdul Bashir and Josh Ijeh; and Gillette’s Jaden Witter-Watts and Jahki Gupton.

                Other honors that were presented were the All-Region teams. For the North, the first team included Central Wyoming’s Sam Mabury, Gillette’s Witter-Watts, and Casper Darius Robinson; the second team included Casper’s Bashir, Northwest’s Hayes, and Gillette’s Bouna Kebe; the third team was LCCC’s Ejay Scoggins, and Western Wyoming’s Micah Pierce and Eddie McPhee; and honorable mention members were Eastern Wyoming’s Micah Glover, Casper’s Ijeh, Central Wyoming’s Julian Roberts and King Soloman, and Gillette’s Andrew Fuquay.

                The north coach of the year was Gillette’s Shawn Neary.

                The South All-Region members included First Team members Lateef Patrick of Trinidad, Jalen Foy of NJC, and JJ Harris of WNCC; Second Team members were Anthony Harris of Otero, Keliese Frye of Trinidad, and Willie Wilson of WNCC; Third Team members were Deng Diew of NJC, Louie Tucker of McCook, and Tay Mosher of Otero; and Honorable Mention members were Martel Evans of McCook, Davion Evans and Bryce Baez of North Platte, and Sean Lindsay of Lamar.

                The South Coach of the Year was WNCC’s Billy Engel.

Trinidad               37 44 – 81

WNCC                 19 37 – 56

TRINIDAD
Keliese Frye 15, Amir Reaves 8, Chase McWhite 3, Lateef Patrick 28, Titus Washington 8, Kenyon Elliott 9, Finn Lilly 6, Tyson Roberts 2, Wahkil Lopez 1, Devin Davenport 2.

WNCC

JJ Harris 4, Maurice Walker 3, Anthony Simo 11, Willie Wilson 11, Travis Easterly, Jr. 8, Stephen Ovia 6, Daniel Bula 7, Kayden Nation 6.

WNCC, Trinidad softball split on Saturday

                The Western Nebraska Community College softball team got a grand slam in the seventh inning to register a come-from-behind win over Trinidad State College Saturday 7-6 in the first game of a doubleheader.

                The second game saw Trinidad score in four of the five innings for the 12-0 win.

WNCC and Trinidad will be back in action Sunday at 11 a.m. for another Region IX conference doubleheader.

                The first game saw excellent play on both sides and strong outings in the circle from pitchers Bella Pacheco of WNCC and Trinidad’s Torie Sandovel. Pacheco went all seven innings allowing six runs and eight hits, while Sandovel allowed four hits.

                The contest was epic as Trinidad’s six runs came off of two 3-run home runs. Mia Bailey got the Trojans on the board first with a 3-run shot in the third inning. WNCC came back with a run in the bottom of the third as Katelyn Czerpak doubled and Baylie Krueger earned a walk. Czerpak scored on an error by the rightfielder and WNCC trailed 3-1.

                Trinidad made it 6-1 with another 3-run home run by Jenisah Mora. That was all WNCC would allow for runs the rest of the game.

                WNCC came back in their last at bat in the seventh and got work done. Sierra Hilgner reached on an error and then Mykah Klumpp was hit by a pitch. WNCC loaded the bases on a single by Randi Mitchell. With one out, Klumpp scores on a Czerpak fielder’s choice hit. Krueger then singled in Mitchell to make it 6-3. With the bases juiced and one out, Fuentes took the first pitch and sent it over the rightfield fence for a grand slam and the ball game.

WNCC was led at the plate by Fuentes with her home run and four RBIs.
The second game saw Trinidad finish the game with 16 hits compared to six for WNCC.

Trinidad plated one run in the first and then had a six spot in the third to lead 7-0. Trinidad added two in the fourth and three in the fifth for a 12-0 lead.

WNCC had chances to score as they left two on in the first and then left the bases loaded with just one out in the second. The second saw three singles by Hilgner, Klumpp, and Devyn Priselac.

The third saw Bailey Legere get on with a single and Hilgner earn a walk, but both were left stranded.

Game 1

Trinidad               003 030 0 – 6 8 2
WNCC                 001 000 6 – 7 4 2
WP – Bella Pacheco.

2B – Katelyn Czerpak.

HR – Jenika Fuentes.

Game 2
Trinidad               106 23 – 12 16 1
WNCC                 000 00 – 0 6 1

LP – Jenika Fuentes.