By Con Marshall
It was not an easy victory, but the Chadron State College men’s basketball team outscored the Westminster Griffins 13-6 during the final five minutes and defeated the Utah team 80-73 on Saturday night in the Chicoine Center.
The final score matched the game’s biggest lead. The Eagles also were ahead 64-57 midway in the second half, but it was nearly always nip-and-tuck. There were 15 lead changes and 12 ties.
CSC Coach Shane Paben called it an ugly victory, but said he’d still take it. He added that his crew made some excellent plays, but also was not up to par at times. The Eagles are now 9-6 overall and 6-3 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, good for fourth place.
Westminster is having a tough season. The Griffins, who also lost to Colorado Christian 75-72 on Friday night, are 4-11 for the season and 0-9 in the conference. But they still have some fight. They are tall and like to take the ball to the hoop.Â
The score was deadlock at 65-65 when the Eagles took the lead for keeps. The go-ahead basket came on Bryce Latimer’s layup after he’d slipped to the floor but kept the ball alive so he wasn’t called for traveling, spun into the lane and his shot rolled through the net.
That was the first of some sparkling plays by the Eagles down the stretch.Â
Before long, another CSC guard, Jalen Patterson, drove along the baseline and scooped a layup off the glass. On the Eagles’ next possession, Josh Robinson put up one of his patented soft floaters from about eight feet away.
To their credit, the Griffins kept the pressure on by also taking the ball to the basket for layups. The score was 74-71 with just under two minutes to play.
On their ensuing possession, the Eagles ran the clock down about as far as they dared before Latimer fed the ball to Jarrett Taylor, who nailed his only shot of the game, a 3-pointer, to put the Eagles on top by a 77-71 margin with 80 seconds remaining.
Westminster added still another layup and the Eagles were called for traveling the next time they had the ball. But the visitors missed their 3-point attempt with 45 seconds remaining. CSC got the rebound and closed out the scoring by making three of four free shots.
Robinson was the Eagles’ top scorer with 19 points while making eight-of-nine field goal shots and all three of his free throws. Both Patterson and 6-9 John Jenkins, who saw limited action the first 40% of the season, but is now a starter, added 14.Â
Latimer, who scored 30 points Friday night during the Eagles’ overtime setback to Colorado Mesa, was limited to 10 points, but he handed out a game-high five assists.Â
Westminster was paced by 6-9 senior, Trey Wood, a transfer from Portland State, with 24 points, 16 of them in the second half. He was 10-of-15 from the field and made all four of his charity shots. Another senior, guard Pierce Sterling, finished with 14 points. Â
The team stats were similar. Each launched 60 field goal attempts with the Eagles making 28, one more than the visitors. CSC’s eight 3-pointers were twice the Griffins’ total, and the Eagles went 16-of-19 at the free throw line while Westminster was 15-of-17. CSC had 10 turnovers and 14 assists. The Salt Lake City team’s numbers were 12 and 11.
The Eagles will be on the road the next two weekend against some salty RMAC foes. Their next home date is Saturday, Feb. 3 versus South Dakota Tech.
Westminster—Trey Wood 24, Pierce Sterling 14, Rylan O’Brien 10, Parker Christensen 9, Drake Middleton 9, Cole Kadoguchi 5, Tyler Kurtz 2. Totals: 27-60 (4-14) 15-17 73 points, 34 rebounds, 12 turnovers, 11 assists.
Chadron State—Josh Robinson 19, John Jenkins 14, Jalen Patterson 14, Bryce Latimer 10, Dalton Peterson 9, Martin Poznanovic 7, Jarrett Taylor 3, Julio Phipps 2, Akene Agee 2. Totals: 28-60 (8-22) 16-19 80 points, 33 rebounds, 10 turnovers, 14 assists.
Westminster 37 36 —-73
Chadron State 41 39 —-80
3-pointers: WU—O’Brien 2, Middleton 1, Kadoguchi 1. CSC—Peterson 3, Patterson 2, Jenkins 2, Taylor 1.