(Riverton, WY) – The Rustlers had previously lost 78-43 to LCCC in Laramie two weeks prior, and aimed to even the series and improve upon their 1-5 record in Region 9 games. They dominated the first quarter of the game, holding the Golden Eagles to 14 points on 35% shooting. But LCCC’s adjustments after the first quarter stifled the Rustler’s offense to only seven second quarter team points, and shifted the box score back in their favor, 42-26. Laura Ring accounted for 11 of the Rustlers’ 26 first half points, and she finished with a game-high 22. Outside of Ring, Natalia Ballin was the only other CWC player with more than 10 points (12). The Rustlers struggled with turnovers all game, amassing 20 over the four quarters which were converted into 23 points for LCCC. Two total made three pointers on 19 attempts failed to help their second half comeback gain any traction as well, and CWC dropped their sixth conference game of the year, with a final score of 81-53.
Central Wyoming was matched up against EWC the next day, and they came out with a fire lit underneath them. A cohesive offense that spread the scoring to all starters empowered the Rustlers to jump to a 37-34 halftime lead over their divisional opponent, and they even led by as much as 10 in the second quarter. Unfortunately, CWC found themselves in a hole after going cold in the third quarter, surrendering a 22-9 run to Eastern Wyoming. Facing a 10 point deficit at the beginning of the fourth, a massive hot streak from Natalia Ballin helped dig them out. Her 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting in crunch time kept Central Wyoming breathing, and a clutch layup from Sophie Wilkinson with six seconds left boosted the Rustlers above and secured the victory for Central Wyoming, 77-75. They finished the game with a season-high field goal percentage (52.6%), and wrapped up the weekend with their second Region 9 win of the season.
Men’s Basketball
This past Friday evening’s match provided a chance at redemption for the Central Wyoming Men’s basketball team against a conference opponent. The Rustlers had lost a close one against LCCC two weeks previous, and now had home court advantage on their side in a predictably tight game.
The Golden Eagle’s TJ Coulter was not making it easy on CWC, and he torched the Rustlers for 21 points in the first half. But the Rustlers drew the iron curtain and thwarted the offense of every other LCCC player, holding the rest of Laramie’s roster to 16. The Rustlers had nine different players score in the opening half, which was a theme that carried into the second half and allowed them to have their second highest team scoring output since the beginning of Region 9 play. Central Wyoming kept their pace throughout the rest of the game, and put the lid on the Golden Eagles by holding Coulter to only one made field goal attempt. Camrin Gulley, Mohamed Mahadhi, Julian Ormond and Dominic McLawrence all finished with double digits, and CWC improved their conference record to 2-5 with the 77-67 victory.
Another college from the other side of the state rolled into town on Saturday, and with that another shot at payback was on the plate for CWC. Eastern Wyoming had stymied the Rustlers in their earlier matchup, and did so again in the first half of Saturday’s game. CWC was forced into bad shots and couldn’t put the pieces together on offense, converting only two of their 17 attempts from beyond the arc and 24.1% from the field. Fortunately for Central Wyoming, EWC wasn’t much more efficient, and a 20-16 halftime score in favor of the Lancers was a sign that this defensive slug-fest was still anyone’s game.
Central Wyoming circled the wagons against the Lancers in the second half, and regained the lead midway through. That lead eventually grew to 9 for the Rustlers, but was diminished back down to three with only a couple minutes left. They were able to stave off EWC in the waning seconds, and a string of missed free throws and offensive rebounds from CWC was the final nail in the coffin. Dominic McLawrence led all scorers with 13, and despite a season-low field goal percentage (27.8%), CWC emerged victorious over Eastern Wyoming, 42-39.
On the Schedule this Week:
- Men’s Basketball
- Thursday, Feb. 13th– AWAY@Northwest College @ 7:30pm
- Women’s Basketball
- Thursday, Feb. 13th– AWAY@ Northwest College @ 5:30pm