Con Marshall
CHADRON, Neb. – It was fun and games inside the Chicoine Center on Monday afternoon when the Chadron State College men’s basketball team put on a tremendous show, defeating Central Christian College 107-50, much to the delight of the 600 or so elementary and middle school students from Chadron and Crawford who were in attendance.
The Eagles (6-6, 2-2 RMAC) “shot the lights out,” hitting nearly 70 percent of both their two and three-point shots while rolling past the Tigers, an NAIA member from McPherson, Kansas, in the non-conference game. CSC’s new coach, Chris Francis, believes it will give his players a boost, encouraging them to fathom how good their team can be.
“I coached in that conference and know (Central Christian) Coach (Tony) Romero pretty well,” Francis said. “He’s a good coach and a great guy and his teams always play hard. They did that today, but we played extra well, just like I hope we’ll play when we return from the break and make a run for a spot in the RMAC playoffs. That’s our goal.”
The Eagles certainly were impressive. They hit 43 of their 64 shots from the field altogether for a 67.2 percent shooting percentage and were even better from 3-point range, draining 16 of 23 shots from behind the arc to shoot 69.6 percent. No wonder the youthful spectators were so charged up and noisy as they applauded the Eagles’ results, which included several slam dunks that added to the excitement.
All 10 Eagles who suited up scored, four of them in double figures. Six-foot, 11-inch forward Darrius Miles helped light the fuse, making his first three shots as CSC built a 12-4 lead in the opening four minutes. Miles made 10 of his 11 shots while scoring a game-high 22 points. Julio Phipps, a 6-5 senior, was close behind, nailing nine of his 10 attempts and tallying 19 points.
Then there were the downtown shooters. Trey Ballard was 5 of 6 from long distance and Dalton Peterson was 5 of 7, giving each 15 points. Zy Wright, this week’s RMAC Offensive Player of the Week after scoring 24 in both of the Eagles’ games last week, was the game’s top rebounder with nine boards while point guard Jalen Thomas was credited with 11 assists to go with nine points and seven rebounds.
Chadron State broke the century mark with 3:43 to go in the game on the third of three consecutive made three-pointers by Ballard. It was the first triple-digit game for the Eagles this season and first for the program since they did so in back-to-back games against Texas A&M-Kingsville and Nebraska Kearney on November 11 and November 18, 2023.
The Eagles allowed exactly 25 points in each half. Central Christian was led in scoring by seniors Jevarrick Butler with 17 points and Malachi Farr with 14.
Coach Francis called the game “a confidence builder” and thinks it will help his players realize that they possess plenty of potential. He’s particularly pleased with the Eagles’ depth and how well they get along and play together.
“They’ve come to realize that none of them can win the games by themselves, but know they can be a part of something really good if they work together,” the coach noted. “We have lots of talent and our chemistry is good. I think if we stay healthy we can win at a high level. It’s tough to win on the road in the RMAC, but if we can win most of our home games and get a few big wins on the road, we’ll be right there.”
Francis added that the energy and enthusiasm the students displayed helped spark his team to play so well Monday. He hopes the young fans will encourage their parents to come along and take them to the Chicoine Center on a regular basis.
The next opportunity for fans to see the Eagles in action in Chadron will come after the Christmas holiday break. Chadron State will host Colorado School of Mines and Regis on Thursday, January 9 and Saturday, January 11, respectively. Prior to that, the Eagles are on the road this Thursday in Brookings, South Dakota to play Division I South Dakota State in an exhibition match.