MCC women post 0-3 mark at Air Force Tournament

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The McCook Community College women's basketball team went 0-3 at the Air Force Tournament over the weekend.

MCC lost to Casper College, Wyo., 84-67 Thursday, 73-68 to Lamar Junior College and Friday and Fort Carson, Colo., 72-54 Saturday.

"Friday afternoon's contest against Casper College was a tough one," said MCC assistant women's coach Carter Roe. "We found ourselves in a big hole early, being down by as many as 20 in the first half. True to form, our team kept fighting and we actually won the second half 51-46, which is a huge scoring half, but basketball is played in two halfs and we were unable to overcome our first half woes.

"Offensively we were led by Britney Bunker, who poured in 17 big points and Kylie Berry's 12 point, 8 rebound effort. While it is always hard to accept losing, we are certainly still building this thing in the right direction.

"The second game of the tournament was against Lamar Community College. Game 2 was a thriller. The team played with such a genuine passion, it really was a joy to be a part of. The effort was simply unbelievable. If we could bottle the energy and the passion with which we played that game, I don't think there would be a team in the country that could pull away from us.

"Britney Bunker was big again, scoring 21 points and grabbing 5 rebounds. It seemed like every time we needed a big shot, Britney buried it for us. Skylar Johnson and Emmalee Fladland each added 12 points and 4 assists and did a fantastic job of leading us from the point guard position.

"Tara Wille again was our engine. The kid just plays with such heart, it's unbelievable. She is a true joy to coach. Overall, Saturday's game was a total team effort and we couldn't have been more proud of the team.

"And finally the third game of the tournament saw us facing a familar opponent in Fort Carson. Game 3 was by far our most disappointing game. It looked like we had tired legs from the opening tap and we just never really emotionally got into the game. While it was quite disappointing to lose, it was certainly full of teachable moments that we can and will use in working to guide such a young team."

The MCC women host the Hastings College JV at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

The MCC men and women will host the MCC Thanksgiving Tournament Friday and Saturday at True Hall Gymnasium. The Indians will play the York College junior varsity Friday and a team to be announced Saturday.