By Con Marshall
The schedule for the Chadron State College basketball teams is unusual this week. Instead, of having two games on the weekend, the Eagles will play Colorado Christian in Lakewood on Wednesday (Feb. 7) evening and at Western Colorado in Gunnison on Friday night.
The Eagles are fresh from winning a pair of competitive, fast-paced games at home last Saturday against South Dakota Mines.
The CSC women took the lead with their first shot of the fourth quarter and continued to stay ahead while making eight of their 12 field goal attempts and all nine of their free throws in the frame for a 70-67 victory.
The men had a little more breathing room most of the time, and used a dunk and four free throws in the final 1:30 to clinch the verdict 76-70.
The Lady Eagles are now 6-12 for the season and 4-10 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Coach Travis Brewster said Tuesday he’s unsure whether the team’s three veterans—Shay Powers, Olivia Waufle and Awoti Akoi—will be able to play this week.
Powers, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, has missed the last four games and Waufle the last three because of injuries. Akoi also sat out Saturday’s game.
The Colorado Christian women are 12-9 for the season and 8-7 in the RMAC. They are led by the conference’s leading scorer, 6-foot-1 sophomore Maggie Hutka, who is averaging 19.4 points and 6.7 rebounds.
The Cougars’ men are 8-12 overall and 4-10 in the conference. Their main weapon is 6-footer Noah Kon, who is averaging 15.6 points. He scored 30 against the Eagles when they visited Chadron on Dec.12. The Eagles won the game 80-73.
Both Western Colorado teams have struggled to win, but have made things interesting at times. Overall, the women are 5-14 and the men 6-14. Both are 3-11 in the conference.
The Lady Mountaineers have won three of their last five games and lost to Colorado Mesa, which has a 17-4 record, by only 76-70 on Jan. 30. Their leader is Rachel Cockman, who is shooting 46% from the field and is averaging 16.7 points and 7.8 rebounds, to rank among the top seven in the RMAC in both categories.
The Western men lost to Colorado Mines, which has 19-4 record, by only 77-72 in Golden in late January and were edged by Westminster 79-76 last Saturday. The Mountaineers’ leading scorer is 6-footer Kaden Juelfs at 12.2 points a game. He’s the son of former CSC football standout Joe Juelfs. His grandparents, Bill and Carol Juelfs, live in Bridgeport.