CSC Men And Women Host New Mexico Highlands Friday Night

By Con Marshall

The Chadron State College men’s and women’s basketball teams are home this week, hosting New Mexico Highlands tonight and Colorado State-Pueblo on Saturday. Both double-headers will begin at 5:30 p.m. with the women’s teams taking the court first.

With only six games left on the schedule, the Eagle have their backs against the wall if they hope to to qualify for the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference’s postseason tournament again this season.
             
They’re 11-11 on the season and 8-8 in the RMAC, sitting 7th with the top 8 advancing to the tournament. The Eagles qualified a year ago with a 16-6 conference record.

Highlands and Pueblo are both multiple games behind the Eagles, but next week’s opponents – Metro State and Colorado School of Mines – are currently ahead of CSC in 4th and 3rd, respectively.

The final weekend of the regular season finds the Eagles on the road March 1st and 2nd at South Dakota School of Mines and Black Hills State – both traditional tough road opponents for CSC.

The Yellowjackets are two spots ahead of Chadron State in 5th while Mines is holding down the 8th spot just behind the Eagles.
             
A couple of wins this weekend would help CSC’s playoff chances immensely. CSC played both on the road to open the RMAC slate in early December.  The Eagles visited Pueblo first and edged the ThunderWolves 84-82 on Bryce Latimer’s layup with 3 seconds remaining, but fell to the Cowboys in Las Vegas 75-61.
             
Both are 5-11 in RMAC action but struggling. Pueblo has dropped its last 6 conference games despite some offensive firepower. Leading scorer and 6-foot-4 senior Brevin Walter is averaging 17 points a game with 3 teammates are averaging least 11 points.
             
Highlands has won just one of its 9 games since Jan 5, but has scored at least 82 points in each of its last 4 contests. 
             
The Eagles dropped two nail-biters on the road last weekend when they were forced to play without Latimer, who was ill but said earlier this week that he’s ready to play. Latimer is the RMAC’s 2nd-leading scorer at 18.8 ppg and leads the conference in assists per game..
             
Following an array of injuries, CSC Women’s Coach Travis Brewster expects to have all 12 of his players available for the first time in nearly a month.
             
At 6-14 for the season and 4-12 in the conference the Lady Eagles are not in the playoff hunt, but Brewster says they are determined to play their best basketball the next 3 weekends. 

The Highlands Cowgirls also have struggled, but the Pueblo women are 8-8 in RMAC play and hopeful of qualifying for the post-season.
             
The ThunderWolves are built around junior forward Alisha Little, who at 6-foot-1 is not little.  She is the RMAC’s 2nd-leading scorer at 19.8 points a game and is tied for the rebounding lead with a 11.5 average.