CASPER, WY – The Laramie County Community College men's basketball team left nothing to chance as they dominated the Western Nebraska Community College Cougars 88-63 in the quarterfinals of the Region IX championships at Casper College.

"They are playing well," Head Coach DeWayne Saulsberry said. "They know that this is their last chance playing together. I really like the attitude that the guys have right now and their focus."

The first three minutes set the tone when the Golden Eagles went 4-4 from three-point range and 5-5 from the field to build a 14-4 lead forcing WNCC to call a timeout and try to slow the momentum.

That did the trick for a short time, but good defense from LCCC beyond the perimeter held Western Nebraska to just 1-7 from three and just 20 percent from the field on the way to a 31-point halftime lead at 51-20.

The second half was a much more physical game. Both Laramie County and Western Nebraska pushed the ball into the paint which led to 41 free throws between the two teams in the final 20 minutes.

LCCC was able to go 61 percent from the line in the game making 19-31 and was able to hold their composure during a few scraps which ended with four technical fouls, including three on WNCC, all of which came in the second half.

"I just kept preaching to them that we had another game to play," Saulsberry said of their ability to stay focused down the stretch. "When you are playing a team that doesn't have another game to play sometimes things can get out of hand. So I was very happy with the maturity of our team."

The Cougars did trim the deficit down to as little as 14 in the second half thanks to the change in play style, but the game never seemed in doubt and the Laramie County offense picked back up in the final eight minutes to build the lead back to 20 and as they slowed the pace down, they finished off the win 88-63.

Laramie County was led in scoring by freshman Brandon Tchouya who finished with 24 points to lead five Golden Eagles in double figures. Ben Hageman continued his hot stretch with 19 points and Tristan Starks (13), Jayden McCray (11), and Xavier McCord (10) all added 10 or more each.

Tchouya finished the night 11-13 from the field and said nights like this bring the best out of him.

"It felt good. When it comes to big games like this it's a time for me to shine and that's what I did. I just got to the basket and played my game."

McCord also had a stellar night in several other categories leading the team in 17 rebounds and four assists.

The Golden Eagles as a team had the edge in almost every stat with a 36-31 advantage in rebounding as well as winning with more assists (9-2) and blocks (4-1) through the game.

"The last couple of games we've been passing the ball a lot to get those open looks and easier shots and it's working well," Tchouya added.

Defensively, LCCC held the Cougars to only 32.7 percent from the field and just 22.7 percent from three. On the other side, Laramie County shot a blistering 52.5 percent from the field and nearly 30 percent from three.

The win moves the Golden Eagles into the Region IX Championship semifinals for the second straight season where they will face Casper College who picked up a 90-83 win over Otero College in the final game of the night, but Tchouya said they know they are ready for the challenge no matter who they face but they want to bring this team a trip to the national championship tournament.

"It would mean a lot," he said. "Getting to the national championship, that's what we are trying to do. Get to Hutch. That's our goal so we win our next two games, that gets us there."

Opening tip of the Golden Eagles game is scheduled for 7:00 pm.