Eagles defeat CCU, fall on senior night
Chadron State capitalized on a lights out first half to fly past Colorado Christian University, 82-69, Friday, at the Chicoine Events Center.
Both teams shot exceptionally well in the first half. The Eagles shot just under 58 percent while the Cougars shot 56 percent. CSC also sank 7 of 12 from beyond the arc, four of them from senior Evan Brooks, of Ontario, California.
Eight players found their way on the scoreboard for the Eagles. Brooks and Kendrick Holliman, senior of Spanish Fort, Alabama, led all scorers with 19 points each. Seniors Josiah Lee, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Christopher Smith, of P
Pasadena, California, each chipped in 12. Lee also added six assists and seven steals.
“We shared the ball and attacked the basket aggressively but on balance,” Holliman said. “When the help defense packed the lane on drives, it opened up 3-point baskets for us.”
The Eagles kept the offense going in the second half, but also picked up their defensive game. They held the Cougars to just 33 percent from the field.
“Each senior kept telling one another, ‘one play at a time,’ we didn’t need to score as much as long as we played great defense,” Holliman said.
The first half was just a prelude to the second for CSC. Continuing to shoot lights out, the Eagles improved to 62.5 percent from the field. Sharing the ball proved to be effective for CSC, finishing with 19 assists.
“I just think we played more motivated than ever before and finally understood that we are more successful when we share the ball,” Brooks said. “When we’re all on the same page and giving a max effort, we’re a tough bunch of guys on both ends of the floor.”
Saturday, the Eagles faced off against Colorado School of Mines in a nail-biting game. CSC fell to the Orediggers, 73-72.
The first half went back and forth, ending with the scores tied at 37. Chadron State kept even with the Orediggers in almost every aspect of the game. Mines shot 46 percent in the first half while CSC held
the edge at 47 percent. Each team shot 50 percent from 3-point range.
The second half was just as exciting as the first, going down to the last second. With just over eight minutes to play, the Orediggers took an eight-point lead, threatening to run away with the game. However CSC refused to go away, taking off on an 18-7 run. With just under a second, Holliman slammed a dunk home, giving Chadron State a three-point advantage. Mines answered with a deep three, tying the score with 11 seconds left.
On the next possession, Lee hit one free throw, but missed the second. Junior Davante McCallum, of Miami, grabbed the offensive rebound and was fouled on the put back attempt. McCallum hit the second attempt, giving the Eagles a 2-point lead. With three seconds left, the Orediggers drove down the court, finding Joe Dellenbach, junior of Gilcrest, Colorado, on the wing, to hit the game winning three as time expired.
“The atmosphere was really intense and a lot of fun,” Lee said. “There were some tears in the locker room, but we felt all right knowing that we left everything on the floor”
Holliman led the Eagles with 24 points and eight rebounds. Smith and Lee added 13 and 11 points, respectively.