Men’s B’ball loses two shootouts in TX

By Eben Rosentrater

The CSC men’s basketball team are searching for their first win after a rough weekend on the road in Texas against the Texas A&M International Dustdevils, of Laredo, and the Texas A&M-Kingsville Javelinas.

The Eagle offense in both matches was very strong, recording nearly .500 in field goal shooting over the weekend. However, this was not enough to overcome the huge deficit left by the Dustdevils and the Javelinas as Chadron lost 66-71 on Friday and 76-82, in overtime, on Saturday.

The first game of the weekend against the Dustdevil started off tight with back-and-forth scoring throughout the first half. However, A&M International jumped out to a commanding lead, going on a 10-0 run with around six minutes left in the half, after the Eagles missed five shots in a row and turned the ball over three times.

However, the Eagles would not give up. The Dustdevils led by 17 with 12 minutes left in the game. The Eagles stayed strong and went on an 18-point run cutting the A&M lead to two. But after a handful of free throws sank by the Dustdevils, the deficit became too much for the Eagles to overcome, losing 66-71

Saturday’s game against the Javelinas was just as close as Friday’s. The Eagles quickly jumped ahead, going on an 8-point run to start the game. However, the Javelinas were not content with letting the Eagles run away with the game and swiftly regained the lead. Towards the end of the first half, Chadron went on a scoring spree, at one point leading by 13. After one half of play, the Eagles led 38-28.

The Javelinas quickly brought the game back after the Eagles went scoreless for nearly six minutes. It was another shootout after that. Down by three with 30 seconds left to go, Eagle guard Isaiah Wyatt, junior of Fort Worth, Texas, sank a three-pointer to send the game to overtime. In overtime, the Eagles struggled to stop the Javelinas momentum scoring only seven to A&M-Kingsville’s 13, losing the game 76-82.

Over the weekend, the Eagles were led offensively by Wyatt, who recorded 30 points, including six three-pointers, averaging .443 in field goal shooting. Bryce Latimer, junior of Stone Mountain, Georgia, and Marcus Jefferson, senior of Lewisville, Texas, also racked up another 29 points each over the weekend.

The Eagles will take the court again, looking for their first win against the University of Sioux Falls Cougars, on Saturday, in Chadron at the Chicoine Center.