THATCHER, Ariz. – The Western Nebraska Community College men’s basketball team finished off the EAC Classic in Thatcher, Arizona, dropping a pair of games over the weekend.
On Friday, the host Eastern Arizona College Gila Monsters had 19-0 runs to open the first and second halves and went on to win 111-73.
Saturday’s contest with Cochise College was a little different. WNCC held a 24-8 lead and a 39-38 halftime lead. Cochise outscored WNCC 44-30 in the second half to claim the 82-69 win.
Saturday’s contest saw three players in double figures, led by Viktor Lukic-Gavric with 15 points and three 3-pointers. Kellon Harris chipped in 14 points and Amare Jackson had 10 points.
It was a contest where the Cougars were hot early as Harris hit a pair of 3-pointers to open the game and the Cougars led 18-5 on a Jackson bucket. WNCC led 26-11 on a Melchi Egbeyemi bucket. Cochise battled back to take a 38-37 lead with 1:58 to play in the half. Toms Linis followed with a bucket for the 39-38 halftime lead.
The second half was back and forth with Jackson scoring the first bucket of the second quarter. Cochise scored the next five for a 43-41 lead. WNCC tied the contest twice at 43 and 45, but never could get the lead. Cochise had a couple back-to-back buckets off and on in the second half, while the Cougars never had two buckets back-to-back.
The difference in the contest was shooting. WNCC shot 42 percent from the field, but were just 20 percent from the 3-point arc (8-of-41). WNCC buried just 5-of-8 free throws.
Cochise shot 53 percent from the field and were just 7-0f-16 from the 3-point arc. Cochise was 15-of-20 from the charity stripe.
WNCC out-rebounded Cochise 32-26 with Dorin Nguema and Linis each getting five boards.
Friday’s contest against Eastern Arizona, a team that received votes in this week’s NJCAA poll, was one where the Cougars played with the Gila Monsters except for the two 19-0 runs to start the halves. Take away those 38 points and the contest is a 73-73 game.
Eastern Arizona led 19-0 in the first before Harris hit a 3-pointer with 11:55 to play in the opening half. The traded buckets after that with the Gila Monsters as EAC led 54-27 at halftime.
Eastern Arizona started the second half just like the first, running off 19 straight to lead 73-27. Jackson finally hit a bucket for the Cougars with 14:37 to play. The second half also saw WNCC put together several back-to-back runs, including a 7-0 run that was highlighted by all seven points from Jackson to make it 78-40.
After a 3-pointer by EAC, WNCC scored six straight including a trey by Linis to make it 81-46. WNCC got the deficit to within 30 once at 99-71 on a Harris 3-pointer and a free throw by Isaiah St. Preux with under three minutes to play.
WNCC shot 32 percent for the contest while hitting for 25 percent from beyond the arc (9-of-36). EAC shot 67 percent from the field and from beyond the arc. Eastern Arizona connected on 16 treys in the contest. The two teams combined for 66 free throw attempts as the Cougars were 20-of-31 and the Gila Monsters were 21-of-35.
WNCC had two in double figures with Jackson getting 18 points while Harris had 17. Harris had three 3-pointers along with Linis with three treys and nine points.
WNCC’s schedule doesn’t get any easier as they hit the road this weekend with a pair of games in Cheyenne on Friday and Saturday when they face the College of Southern Idaho and Salt Lake Community College.

Friday’s Game
WNCC 27 46 – 73
E. Arizona 54 57 – 111
WNCC
Xavier Kirkpatrick 1, Viktor Lukic-Gavric 7, Amare Jackson 18, Toms Linis 9, Dorin Nguema 6, Noah Jones 5, Kellon Harris 17, Isaiah St. Preux 8, Nehemiah Jean Charles 2.

Saturday’s Game
WNCC 39 30 – 69
Cochise 38 44 – 82
WNCC
Kellon Harris 14, Viktor Lukic-Gavric 15, Amare Jackson 10, Dorin Nguema 2, Toms Linis 9, Xavier Kirkpatrick 8, Melchi Egbeyemi 9, Nehemiah Jean Charles 2.