The most important part of the basketball season begins this weekend as the Western Nebraska Community College men’s and women’s basketball teams will open South Sub-Region play with home contests against Otero College and Trinidad State College on Friday and Saturday.
                The Cougar teams are 0-0 in conference play as the other teams in the North and South conferences have played contests already. WNCC will enter Friday’s contest with Otero having not played in nearly two weeks. Friday’s contest tips off at 5:30 p.m. for the women with the men’s game to follow.
                Saturday’s contest with Trinidad State is slated for a 1 p.m. tip-off for the women with the men’s game to follow.
                WNCC head coach Ryan Davis said this is the important stretch of the season.
                “Getting off to a good start in Region IX South is really important, so the games this weekend are our top priority,” Davis said. “The south hosting the Region IX tournament means every win in conference really counts.”
                The Cougar women enter conference play at 13-5 while Otero is 1-18. Trinidad State is 1-14 on the season. Both teams are 0-1 in conference play as Otero had a battle with McCook last Friday before falling 56-51. Trinidad State’s loss came a week ago Saturday when they battled McCook before falling 71-61.
                For Davis, he said that Otero and Trinidad State are definitely better than their record indicates and his team needs to be ready to play.
                “Trinidad State has 10 new players on their roster this season and I believe they only brought back one returner. Teams like that take a while to gel,” he said. “Their record does not reflect how competitive they have been since just before Christmas break. They have been in all of their last six games. They are playing better basketball so we will have to be ready to go from the tip.
                “Otero is in a similar boat, but two of their last three games they have been in late in the fourth quarter against Gillette and McCook. All that matters at this point is everyone’s Region IX South record so I expect both teams to come out ready to play.”
                WNCC had been playing well so far this season and even at 13-5, the losses were games they could have won. WNCC opened the second semester in Casper where they went 1-2, falling to Gillette and Casper, but picked up a big win over Western Wyoming, 71-54, who defeated Casper on Tuesday. WNCC lost to Casper on January 11 in a game where they dominated, but lost on a last second 3-ponter to fall 74-71 on January 11.
                The winner of the women’s South conference will host the Region IX tournament in mid-March. Currently, McCook is 3-0 in the conference with an overall record of 12-9.
                On the North side of the conference standings, Western Wyoming leads the North at 3-0 after topping Casper College on Tuesday night 60-58 on a come-from-behind win. Laramie County and Gillette are 1-0 while Casper is 2-1 on the young conference season.
                “Going 2-0 is all about our mindset,” Davis said. We had a very difficult first half of our year and our players know that. We can either relax or use that preparation to prove how much better we have gotten over the first 2 ½ months of the year.”
                The men’s conference standings are also just two weeks into the important games. On the South side, North Platte sits atop the standing at 2-0 in conference and 12-4 overall. Northeastern is second at 1-0 and 6-13 overall.
                The Cougar men play two teams this weekend who are 1-1 in conference play. Otero is 7-10 overall and Trinidad State is 8-11. Trinidad State defeated WNCC a year ago in the Region IX championship game.
                Otero split conference games last weekend when they defeated McCook 89-86 before falling to North Platte 83-80. Trinidad State did nearly the same thing as Otero last weekend when they fell to North Platte by three, 79-76, before beating McCook 93-85.
                Otero is averaging 73.8 points a contest while Trinidad State is averaging 82.7 points. WNCC is scoring at a clip of 87.6 in the conference, which is the top-scoring team in the South Conference. Only Gillette and Casper on the North side are averaging more points a game. Gillette is scoring at an average of 103.7 points a contest while Casper is at 98.8 points.
                WNCC’s scoring potential has been on a tear lately. The Cougars have scored 90 points in four of their last six games in December and January. The Cougars started December with a 91-89 win over North Dakota School of Science and then ran all over Little Big Horn College 147-68. WNCC then lost a high-scoring contest against Miles Community College 123-113.
                The Cougars wrapped up the first semester with a 95-91 win over Casper. To start January, the Cougar men found the going a little tough as they dropped three straight, falling to Western Wyoming 109-98 at home in overtime and then going on the road to Casper and Gillette and dropping a pair of contests.
                The key for the Cougars to win is playing defense. WNCC is giving up 94.6 points a contest, which is tops in Region IX. Lamar is second in Region IX, allowing 89.1 points a contest. Casper is the top North Conference school, giving up 87.3 points a contest.
After this weekend, both Cougar teams travel to face McCook Community College on Tuesday. The next home game will be Monday, February 10 when WNCC takes on Northeastern Junior College.

Men’s Region IX Standings
South Conference
                                          Conf.     Overall
North Platte                  2-0         12-4
Northeastern               1-0         6-13
Trinidad                          1-1         8-11
Otero                              1-1         7-10
McCook                         1-2         8-11
WNCC                             0-0         5-11
Lamar                              0-2         1-14
North Conference
                                          Conf.     Overall
Casper                            3-0         16-4
Gillette                            1-0         18-1
LCCC                                1-0         8-11
Northwest                    1-1         12-6
W. Wyoming                1-2         10-11
C. Wyoming                  0-2         5-14
E. Wyoming                  0-2         4-15
 
Women’s Region IX Standings
South Conference
                                          Conf.     Overall
McCook                         3-0         12-8
Lamar                              1-1         6-10
WNCC                             0-0         13-5
Otero                              0-1         1-18
Northeastern               0-1         2-15
Trinidad                          0-1         1-14
North Conference
W. Wyoming                3-0         16-5
LCCC                                1-0         10-7
Gillette                            1-0         14-5
Casper                            2-1         15-6
E. Wyoming                  0-2         9-10
Northwest                    0-2         12-7
C. Wyoming                  0-2         5-15