T-Bird Ladies head to Cougar Palace for Region 9 tourney action

The Casper College Lady Thunderbirds will head to Scottsbluff, Nebraska, to begin play in the 2025 Region 9 Women’s Basketball Tournament.

The team had a first-round bye and will play against the Northeastern Plainswomen of Northeastern Junior College from Sterling, Colorado. The quarterfinal game will begin at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 13, at Western Nebraska Community College’s Cougar Palace.

The Plainswomen won in a first-round competition last week, beating the Lamar Community College Runnin’ Lopes from Lamar, Colorado, 71 to 55.

“I think NJC will be a tough match,” said Dwight Gunnare, T-Bird head coach. “They have been playing very well in the later part of the season. We will have to play well to advance, which I believe we are more than capable of,” he noted.

At the end of the regular season, the Lady T-Birds stand at 24-6 overall and 11-1 in the conference. NJC, under head coach Bronson Moton, has an 8-23 overall record and a conference record of 3-7.

“We are looking forward to the opportunity to compete for another Region 9 Championship,” Gunnare said. “Once again, there are multiple good teams that have a legitimate chance to win the tournament and punch their ticket to the NJCAA National Tournament.”

For those planning to watch the T-Birds in action, the cost of individual day tickets is $8 for adults and $6 for students and senior citizens. An all-tournament pass is $20. WNCC will be livestreaming all tournament games, with the semifinal games on Friday, March 14, and the final on Saturday, March 15. To view the livestream, go here. To view game times and scores, go here.

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