Chadron State College’s “Mr. Quick,” Bryce Latimer, tallied 43 points Tuesday night while bringing the Eagles from behind to win 85-76 over South Dakota Mines in a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference game in Chadron.
The win was the Eagles’ 10th in 11 games, giving them an 18-9 season record and a 15-6 RMAC mark. Mines is 9-18 and 8-13.
Latimer, a 5-10 dynamo who comes off the bench, scored 15 points while playing that many minutes in the first half, then poured in 28 points in 16 minutes in the second half. He’s the first Chadron State male basketball player to score 40 or more points in a game this century and his 43 points ties him for fifth on the Eagles’ all-time single game list.
The Stone Mountain, Ga., native was 13 of 19 from the field, including four of seven on 3-pointers range, and made 13 of 14 free throws. The Hardrockers tried to guard him. He was fouled 10 times, usually while driving to the basket for a short jumper or a layup.
This was the first time in the Eagles’ 27 games this winter that he has attempted and made so many 3-pointers. He’d made just 10 treys entering the game.
The Eagles needed Latimer’s boost off the bench.
It was the Hardrockers’ Alejandro Rama, a dynamic player in his own right, who lit things up early. The 6-foot-1 Red Cloud High graduate opened the game by hitting six consecutive 3-point shots as Mines took a 30-17 lead midway in the half.
Boosted by Latimer’s 15 points, the Eagles finally gnawed at the Hardrockers’ lead and trailed by only 44-39 at halftime. While the margin was never greater than seven points and was a single point on three occasions, the South Dakota visitors remained ahead the first 14 minutes of the second half.
It was a Latimer 3-pointer that put the Eagles on top 66-65 with six minutes remaining. That turned out to be the game’s only lead change.
The Eagles certainly never ran away and hid. CSC’s advantage was just 75-72 with 1:26 to play after the Hardrockers’ Kolten Mortensen hit a 3-pointer. Latimer then drove for one of his layups, did something of a double clutch while he was in the air, and made the shot to give the Eagles a 77-72 cushion with 56 seconds to play.
After Mines failed to score on its ensuing possession, Latimer made two sets of free throws and his teammates tacked on four more points in the final 16 seconds.
Both teams had four players reach double figures. While Latimer scored a bit more than half of his team’s points, Isaiah Wyatt added 15 and both Marcus Jefferson and Josh Robinson netted 11. Robinson also grabbed a game high 14 rebounds, giving him his ninth double-double this season.
CSC Coach Shane Paben also commended Robinson for containing Rama in the second half.
Both Rama and forward Brevin Walter finished with 24 points, Keagan Smith added 15 and Mortensen 11. Walter was the only Mines player to go to the free throw line, where he was seven of eight.
The Eagles shot exactly 50% from the field in each half, going 15 of 30 in the first 20 minutes and 13 of 26 in the second. Mines was 18 of 29 in the opening half for 62%, 12 of 38 in the second half for 42.9% and 52.6% for the game.
Both teams had eight turnovers.
The Eagles are due to host Black Hills State on Thursday night for both teams’ final regular season game
S.D. Mines—Alejandro Rama 24, Brevin Walter 24, Keagen Smith 15, Kolten Mortensen 11, Kolton Frugoli 2. Totals: 30-57 (9-22) 7-8 76 points, 27 rebounds, 8 turnovers.
Chadron State—Bryce Latimer 43, Isaiah Wyatt 15, Josh Robinson 11, Marcus Jefferson 11, Jarrett Taylor 3, Porter Anderson 2. Totals: 28-56 (11-26) 18-21 85 points, 29 rebounds, 8 turnovers.
South Dakota Mines 44 32 —76
Chadron State 39 46 —85
3-pointers: SDM—Rama 6, Mortensen 1, Smith 1, Walter 1. CSC—Latimer 4, Jefferson 3, Wyatt 3, Taylor 1.
Chadron State’s single-game scoring leaders:
Josh Robinson, 51 vs. Dana College, 1989-90.
Russ Crafton, 48 vs. Adams State, 1992-93
Otis Frazier, 46 vs. Nebraska-Kearney, 1999-00
Randy Lotton, 45 vs Colorado College, 1983-84
Mike Kinnaird, 43 vs. Colorado College, 1968-69
Bryce Latimer, 43 vs. South Dakota Mines, 2022-23.