SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. -  The Western Nebraska Community College women’s basketball team allowed two long scoring runs and dropped a 71-54 contest to No. 11 Salt Lake Community College to close out the Cougar Classic on Saturday.
WNCC, 1-1, will be back in action Tuesday when they host Casper College at 5:30 p.m. at Cougar Palace.
Shooting was the difference in the contest. Salt Lake shot 47 percent from the field and buried six 3-pointers. WNCC was 37 percent from the field and converted on just two of 11 3-point attempts.
WNCC was led in scoring by Ella Chesta-Carty with 12 points and seven rebounds followed by Zozefine Sipolina with 11 points and six rebounds. Brynn Sybrant tallied nine points.
The only 3-point shots came from Sipolina and Juseana-Rae Delatori.
The contest, however was closer than the final score. Salt Lake led 7-2 early and the Cougars came back to make it 7-6 on buckets by Celina Donyo and then a steal and bucket by Chesta-Carty.
Salt Lake followed with a 10-0 run to go up 17-6. WNCC scored the final three points to tray after one 17-9.
Early in the second quarter was the difference as Salt Lake went on a 17-6 run to lead 34-15 and led at halftime 36-20.
WNCC trailed 56-37 and never could get a run of more that four points going. It was the fourth quarter when the Cougars did mount a run. Trailing 67-43, WNCC scored five straight on a bucket by Chesta-Carty, two free throws by Sybrant, and a free throw by Charisma Johnson.
In the other game of the Cougar Classic on Saturday, No. 4 Dodge City Community College had little trouble with Colorado Northwestern Community College, winning 96-41 as Dodge City buried 18 3-pointers.

Salt Lake 71, WNCC 54
SLCC 17 19 19 16 – 71
WNCC 9 11 18 16 – 54
SALT LAKE
Simran Willams 6, Ines Babaya 4, Ahnica Russell-Brown 15, Tahys Da Silva 14, Analeise Majaraj 2, Calonni Holloway 5, Lyla Kahrimanovic 13, Nani Tuigamala 10, Maria Ignatchenko 2.
WNCC
Celina Donyo 6, Veralyn Aviles 3, Charisma Johnson 7, Zozefine Sipolina 11, Ella Chesta-Carty 12, Juseana-Rae Delatori 3, Aniaya Burton-Hernandez 3, Brynn Sybrant 9.

WNCC falls to Dodge City on Saturday

The Western Nebraska Community College and Dodge City Community men’s basketball teams hooked up in an intense battle Saturday and it wasn’t until the last minute of the contest that Dodge City took control to win 91-82.
The Cougars, 0-2 after facing two talented teams to open the season, will be back in action this weekend against two more talented team when they head to Arkansas City, Kansas to face Cowley County Community College and Butler Community College Friday and Saturday.
Saturday, the game was a battle with neither team giving an inch for 39 minutes of the 40 minutes. Dodge City had an early 9-point lead in the first half at 31-24. WNCC had a 7-point lead minutes later at 41-34. During that run, the Cougars outscored Dodge City 17-4.
The run was started by a bucket by Willie Wilson followed by two 3-pointers by Noah Jones and a thundering one-handed dunk by Amare Jackson. WNCC led 43-36 late in the first on a bucket by Xavier Kirkpatrick before Dodge score the final four points to trail the Cougars 43-40 at halftime.
The second half saw WNCC build a 53-47 lead on a bucket by Viktor Lukic-Gavric. That is where things changed as Dodge went on an 11-0 run to lead 58-53. After a bucket by Lukic-Gavric, Dodge went on a 6-0 run to lead 64-55.
With Dodge leading 70-63, WNCC battle back with an 8-0 run to take a 71-70 lead on a Toms Linis bucket. The two teams traded buckets and had three ties. WNCC trailed 80-79 with just over two minutes to play when the Cougars’ scoring went south and Dodge City went on a 9-0 run to lead 90-79 with 30 seconds to play.
WNCC shot just 34 percent from the field while making 13 3-pointers. Dodge City shot 54 percent and only made five triples. The difference in the game was at the free throw line where Dodge went to the line 47 times, making 30. WNCC was just 19-of-26 from the charity stripe.
WNCC had four players in double figures. Lukic-Gavric led the way with 26 points, including five triples along with eight rebounds and five assists. Kirkpatrick added 14 points followed by Jackson with 12 and Isaiah St. Preux with 11.

Dodge City 91, WNCC 82
DCCC 40 51 – 91
WNCC 43 39 – 82
DODGE CITY C.C.
Rickey Lofton 10, Derrick Rivers 28, Brad Johnson 8, Jayvion Nurse 12, Wesly Rosa 5, Jordan Russell 10, Christian Brockett 5, Kock-Deng Koch 2, Richard Rojas 9, Justin Houston 2.
WNCC
Isaiah St. Preux 11, Viktor Lukic-Gavric 26, Amare Jackson 12, Toms Linis 8, Xavier Kirkpatrick 14, Noah Jones 9, Willie Wilson 2.