WNCC womens basketball players make All-Region, All-Tournament

The Western Nebraska Community College women’s basketball team had several members of the 28-2 team that earned a 7th-seed into the national tournament receive post-season honors that was announced by the Region IX recently.

Four Cougars earned South All-region Honors with three earning Region IX all-tournament honors.

The four receiving all-region honors included sophomores Tishara Morehouse, R’Manie Pulling, and Yuliyana Valcheva, and freshman Lidsey Mahoukou.

Morehouse led the team with 21 points a game average while making 38.2 percent of her treys. She also averaged five rebounds and four assists a game.

Valcheva averaged 12.3 points a contest and seven rebounds a game, while Pulling averaged 11.5 points a contest. Pulling was also put on the South All-defensive team.

Mahoukou, averaged 10.5 points and 5.9 rebounds a contest in her first season at WNCC.

Other South All-region members included Otero’s Charisse Fairley, Emma Florez, and Lea Mafua; Northeastern Junior College’s Aleksandra Ratnikava, and McCook’s Carla Torrubio-Cano and Makenna Bodette.

South All-defensive members on the team besides Pulling included Trinidad State’s Mariah Garcia, Otero’s Emma Florez, McCook’s Makenna Bodette, and NJC’s Unique Gainey.

North All-region members included Eastern Wyoming’s Ane Esnal Aquirre, Casper’s Natalia Otkhmezuri, Mya Jones, and Raquel Ferrer-Bernad; Central Wyoming’s Essy Latu; Gillette’s Kobe King-Hawea, Skylar Patton, and Molly Coleman; Northwest’s Adela Smutna; and Sheridan’s Madison Roush.

North All-defensive members included Northwest’s Raquel Turner, Laramie County’s Abby Garreaud, Gillette’s Skylar Patton, Eastern Wyoming’s Emma Strom, and Casper’s Juneau Jones.

Three WNCC players also earned Region IX All-tournament honors. WNCC fell in the regional championship game 66-64 to Casper College.

Cougars making the all-tournament team included Tishara Morehouse, R’Manie Pulling, and Lidsey Mahoukou.

Casper, Gillette, and Otero each had three on the all-tournament team. Casper’s members included Natalia Okkhmezuri, Ashley Tehau, and Raquel Ferrer-Bernad, while Gillette had Kobe King-Hawea, Sydney Praher, and Skylar Patton.

Otero’s three players included Leah Mafua, Charisse Fairely, and Sophie Abela.

The last members of the All-tournament team was Eastern Wyoming’s Montse Guitierrez Ibanez and Ane Esnal Aquirre; and NJC’s Alexandra Ratnikava.

The regional coach of the year honors went to WNCC’s Chad Gibney for the south and Casper’s Dwight Gunnare for the north.