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Men's Basketball

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Plainsmen Prepare for Region IX Tournament

March 3, 2010

By Ken McDowell

Sports Editor

A torrid comeback by the Northeastern Junior College (NJC) Plainsmen fell short in their regular season finale Sunday at Western Nebraska Community College (WNCC) in Scottsbluff.

NJC dropped the game 85-84 after trailing by as many as 9 points with over a minute left. A trey by freshman guard Widgett Washington with just over two seconds left pulled NJC to within one point at 85-84. Freshman Anthony Crenshaw stole the inbounds pass and his last second shot was off the mark as NJC endured the one point loss.

Washington netted 33 points to lead NJC.

"We made a pretty good comeback at the end," said NJC Coach Eddie Trenkle. "But if we would have shot better in the first half it would have been a different game. We also missed a lot of free throws. I think we were 13-for-23 and we haven't shot that bad from the line in a long time."

Trenkle added that the Plainsmen had seven days off prior to Sunday's contest.

"Our offense wasn't where it was before Sunday's game," he added. "We also had 25 turnovers, but once we got into our rhythm we started playing better. So I was pleased that we still had a chance to win at the end."

The Plainsmen close out the regular season with a 15-14 mark, and will compete in the Region IX Tournament this weekend at Sheridan, Wyo., Community College.

NJC has played its best basketball the second semester, posting an 11-4 mark when Trenkle changed the defense after the break to more of a pressing style.

"We're playing really good right now," he observed. "But we still have some work to do going into the regional tournament. We have completely changed the way we play and the kids have adapted pretty well."

NJC enters the Region IX Tournament as the number 2 seed out of the South Sub-Region. Laramie County Community College (LCCC) emerged as the number 1 seed out of the South Sub-Region.

The Plainsmen will open the tournament Saturday at 6 p.m. against McCook, Neb., Community College. McCook owns two wins over NJC this season, including a 77-74 setback at McCook on Nov. 11 and a 103-97 defeat in the Bank of Colorado Event Center on Dec. 5.

But McCook has not seen the Plainsmen since the mid-season change, and Trenkle hopes that will make a big difference the third time around.

"McCook has not seen the way we play now, other than on video tape," he said. "It should be good for us this time because we will make them have to make decisions for 40 minutes to adjust to us. So it should be a good game."

If the Plainsmen win that game they will take on the winner of the Casper, Wyo., Community College/Dawson, Mont., Community College contest Sunday at 6 p.m.

The other teams in NJC's side of the bracket are Sheridan, Western Wyoming, WNCC and Lamar Community College.

On the top bracket are LCCC, Northeast, Neb., Community College, Central Wyoming College, Miles City., Mont., College, North Platte, Neb., Community College, Trinidad State College, Northwest, Neb., Community College and Gillette, Wyo., Community College.

If the Plainsmen make it to the semi-finals, that game will be Monday at 8 p.m. The championship contest is set for Tuesday at 7 p.m. The winner of the Region IX Tournament will advance to the NJCAA National Tourney March 16-20 in Hutchinson, Kan.

"It's a pretty wide open tournament," Trenkle observed. "We may be kind of a darkhorse going in because of our record, but it's nice going in without the pressure of being the favorite. I felt that last year when we hosted the tournament and lost in the semi-finals to North Platte that we went in playing not to lose instead of playing to win.

"So going in and not having that pressure on us could be a big key for us. I told the guys all they have to do is go out and play and have fun. The team that always plays the hardest are the ones that win. Our kids are excited about playing in the tournament and they will give it their best."