MCCOOK – In a Saturday afternoon battle of two strong Region IX teams, the Laramie County Community College Golden Eagles could not hold onto the lead in the fourth quarter and fell 78-71 to McCook Community College.

The Lady Indians (10-4) scored 25 points in the final quarter and held the Golden Eagles (9-5) to 13 points in the quarter. The Golden Eagles were held to just two 3-pointers shooting 10 percent from beyond the arc. It was the lowest percentage the Golden Eagles have shot all season long.

The Golden Eagles lit up the scoreboard with 23 first-quarter points to stay leveled with McCook after the first 10 minutes. After that high scoring pace, scoring slowed a bit in the second period, but not much as Laramie County held a 42-35 halftime advantage.

The Indians suffered 17 turnovers in the game while the Golden Eagles only gave it away 10 times. MCC got within six points at the end of the third quarter and then had an explosive fourth quarter.

Gabi O'Connor (Colorado Springs, Colorado) led the Golden Eagles with 27 points and two assists. Two others finished double digits. Courtney Walker (Las Vegas, Nevada) put up 15 and had six rebounds and Karli O'Brien (Rapid City, South Dakota) notched 14 points and led the team in rebounds with nine and two steals.

The Indians had five players score in double digits, led by Sam Hinkle and Anna Sanjuan with 17. LCCC's substitutes produced 10 points.

The Golden Eagles play their next game at home, with a rematch against Otero Junior College at 5:30 p.m. Friday at the RAC. Otero defeated LCCC, 68-56, when the teams met in La Junta last week.