The Western Nebraska Community College basketball teams have been practicing for the past week after the holiday break as they get set to open the second semester with contests Thursday through Saturday.
                The Cougar men, who capped off the first semester with a 95-91 win over Casper College on December 10, will open the second semester at home when Western Wyoming Community College comes to Cougar Palace for a 6:30 p.m. tip.
                The Cougar men are 5-8 on the season while Western Wyoming are 8-8 after topping Otero College on Saturday.
                After Thursday’s home game, the Cougars will hit the road for two contests over the weekend when they face Casper College at Casper, Wyoming, on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and then head up to Gillette, Wyoming, to face Gillette College on Saturday at 4 p.m. WNCC fell to Gillette College in November 102-91 in a game where Elijah Hollins scored 31 points.
                The Cougar women will open the second semester on the road at the Region 9 Crossover Classic in Casper, Wyoming with three contests against quality programs. The Cougar women capped off the first  semester with four straight wins and moved into the NJCAA rankings a No. 22 with their 12-3 record after impressive wins over previously unbeaten and ranked North Dakota State College of Science 60-54 and then topped Gillette College 70-52 to cap off the Holiday Inn Express tourney in Gillette, Wyoming on December 7.
                This weekend’s slate of contest begin Thursday when the Cougar women face Gillette College at 4 p.m. Gillette is 10-5 on the season after starting the season 10-0. The Pronghorn women dropped their last five games before the holiday break.
                WNCC will continue the Crossover Classic on Friday against Western Wyoming Community College at 1:30 p.m. in a contest that will pit the Mustangs against the Cougars. Western Wyoming is 11-4 on the season and have won eight straight heading into the classic. The Cougars are also looking to get back on the winning track against Western Wyoming, having lost the last six times against the Mustangs in the last two seasons on record.
                After that, the Cougars will then compete against Casper College on Saturday at 6 p.m. Casper is 10-5 on the season and have won their last three. The T-Birds will open the Crossover Classic against Otero on Thursday and then McCook on Friday. Casper topped the Cougars back on November 9 74-61 at Cougar Palace.
                After this weekend the Cougar men and women will have 13 days off before their next contests when they host Otero and Trinidad State on January 24 and 25 to open conference action.
                In other basketball schedule notes, the originally scheduled home game with Northeastern Junior College that was slated for Friday, February 8 has been moved to Monday, February 10.