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MCC wins Coach of The Year, several player honors
McCOOK, Neb. — McCook Community College Women’s Basketball Coach Brandon Pritchett has been named the Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference Coach of the year and three of his players received both conference and region honors.
Sophomores Amiya Dartest, Estrella Avalos (sophomore. Las Cruces, N.M.) and Gail Whiting (sophomore, Montgomery, Ala.) were all named to the all NCCAC team. Dartest and Avalos were named to the all-Region IX team and Whiting was named to the all-Region IX Defensive team.
Pritchett was named NCCAC Coach of the year for the second-straight year, posting a 6-0 record in the conference. The team went 15-9 on the season, 8-3 at home and 5-4 in Region IX – including a 65-57 win over ninth ranked Western Nebraska on March 21.
The Lady Indians earned a first-round home Region IX Tournament game, where they downed Lamar Community College 53-47, then advancing to the quarter-finals with a 61-49 win over Eastern Wyoming, and falling in the semifinals to Otero Junior College 66-53.
Dartest, a 5-3 point guard from Washington-Marian High School in Jennings, La., led the team with 263 points on the season, she shot 34.0 percent from the field and 36.0 percent from the 3-point line connecting on 58 of 161 shots from distance. She averaged 11.0 points per game and had 42 assists, 23 steals and 38 rebounds. She scored in double-figures 15 times including a season-high 23 points March 6 against Central Community College at Columbus. She scored at least nine points in a 17-game stretch between Feb. 13 and April 8.
Avalos, a 6-1 forward from Las Cruces, N.M., was in her first year at MCC having transferred after her freshman year at Colby Community College. She averaged 9.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game shooting shot 43.7 percent from the field and 26.7 percent from the arc and 65.1 percent from the charity stripe. She collected three double-doubles on the season with five double-digit rebound games and 12 double-digit scoring games including three double-doubles. She scored 19 points March 30 at home against Northeastern Junior College to go along with 10 rebounds and collected as season best 12 rebounds twice during the season. She also blocked a team-best 31 shots, had 29 steals and 37 assists.
Whiting a 5-9 forward from Park Crossing High School in Montgomery, Ala., averaged 10.6 points and 6.0 rebounds, and led the team with 2.8 steals per game and 61 for the season. She shot 50.3 percent from the field and led the team with 59 offensive rebounds and 132 overall.
She scored a season-best 16 points March 30 against NJC, which began a streak of four-straight games with double-digit points to end the season, including a 13.3 scoring average in the Lady Indians’ three-game Region IX tournament run.Five McCook Community College men’s basketball players garnered post-season honors this year. Those players include sophomores Damien Perry, Cortland Blake, Rahkiem Petterson, and freshmen William Lee and Julian Lual.
Five men earn all-league
Five McCook Community College men’s basketball players garnered post-season honors this year. Those players include sophomores Damien Perry, Cortland Blake, Rahkiem Petterson, and freshmen William Lee and Julian Lual.
Perry, (Wareham, Mass.) was named to the Omaha World Herald all-Midlands team, first team all-Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference, and third team all-Region IX.
Perry, a 6-0 point-guard and transferred from Laramie County Community College after his freshman year. He played in 23 games for the Indians this season, averaging 14.1 points, 4.0 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game. He shot 44.1 percent from the field and 37 percent from the 3-point line. He scored a season-high 32 points March 7 at Southeast Community College and scored 68 points in four Region IX tournament games (17.0 points a game average.)
Blake, a 6-5, 263-pound forward transferred from Southwest Assemblies of God University was named to the Region IX all-tournament team, first-team all-NCCAC and received honorable mention on the Omaha World-Herald all-Midlands team. He is from Fort Worth, Texas. Blake, averaged 12.1 points, 3.3 rebounds per game for the season, shooting 45.9 percent from the field and 38.4 percent from the three-point line. In being named to the all-tournament team he scored 41 points in the Indians’ four games and stepped it up from the 3-point line making eight of 17 shots (47 percent). He topped the 20-point mark three times during the season, including a 27-point game March 7 at Beatrice against Southeast CC.
Petterson was tabbed first team all-NCCAC and also received honorable mention on the Omaha World-Herald all-Midlands team. Petterson a 6-3 wing from (Midland, Texas) averaged 13.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He shot 52.4 percent from the field, and 27.1 from distance. He scored in double-digits in 17 of his final 18 games for the Tribe, scoring a season-high 23 points Feb. 16 at home against Laramie County Community College. He had five double-doubles for MCC.
Lee was selected to the Region IX all-tournament team. The 6-0 freshman guard from Queens, N.Y. via the Blue Ridge School in St. George, Va., averaged 9.9 points per game in his first year, shooting 39.6 percent from the field, 30.4 from the 3-point line ad 83.8 percent from the free-throw line. In the post-season, he scored 50 points including 19 in the semi-finals against Western Wyoming. He shot 44.4 percent from the field in the tournament.
Lual (Calgary, Alberta) was an honorable mention pick for the World-Herald’s all-Midlands squad. The 6-7 forward averaged 10.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. He scored a season-high 24 points in the second-round Region IX tournament game against Laramie County Community College and scored in double-figures 12 times during the season with three double-doubles. He shot 46.1 percent from the field, 28.6 percent from the 3-point line, and 68.1 percent from the line.