CHADRON, Neb. – It was fun and games inside the Chicoine Center on Monday afternoon when the Chadron State College men's basketball team put on a tremendous show, defeating Central Christian College 107-50, much to the delight of the 600 or so elementary and middle school students from Chadron and Crawford who were in attendance. 

The Eagles (6-6, 2-2 RMAC) "shot the lights out," hitting nearly 70 percent of both their two and three-point shots while rolling past the Tigers, an NAIA member from McPherson, Kansas, in the non-conference game. CSC's new coach, Chris Francis, believes it will give his players a boost, encouraging them to fathom how good their team can be. 

"I coached in that conference and know (Central Christian) Coach (Tony) Romero pretty well," Francis said. "He's a good coach and a great guy and his teams always play hard. They did that today, but we played extra well, just like I hope we'll play when we return from the break and make a run for a spot in the RMAC playoffs. That's our goal."

The Eagles certainly were impressive. They hit 43 of their 64 shots from the field altogether for a 67.2 percent shooting percentage and were even better from 3-point range, draining 16 of 23 shots from behind the arc to shoot 69.6 percent. No wonder the youthful spectators were so charged up and noisy as they applauded the Eagles' results, which included several slam dunks that added to the excitement. 

All 10 Eagles who suited up scored, four of them in double figures. Six-foot, 11-inch forward Darrius Miles helped light the fuse, making his first three shots as CSC built a 12-4 lead in the opening four minutes. Miles made 10 of his 11 shots while scoring a game-high 22 points. Julio Phipps, a 6-5 senior, was close behind, nailing nine of his 10 attempts and tallying 19 points.

Then there were the downtown shooters. Trey Ballard was 5 of 6 from long distance and Dalton Peterson was 5 of 7, giving each 15 points. Zy Wright, this week's RMAC Offensive Player of the Week after scoring 24 in both of the Eagles' games last week, was the game's top rebounder with nine boards while point guard Jalen Thomas was credited with 11 assists to go with nine points and seven rebounds. 

Chadron State broke the century mark with 3:43 to go in the game on the third of three consecutive made three-pointers by Ballard. It was the first triple-digit game for the Eagles this season and first for the program since they did so in back-to-back games against Texas A&M-Kingsville and Nebraska Kearney on November 11 and November 18, 2023.

The Eagles allowed exactly 25 points in each half. Central Christian was led in scoring by seniors Jevarrick Butler with 17 points and Malachi Farr with 14. 

Coach Francis called the game "a confidence builder" and thinks it will help his players realize that they possess plenty of potential.  He's particularly pleased with the Eagles' depth and how well they get along and play together.

"They've come to realize that none of them can win the games by themselves, but know they can be a part of something really good if they work together," the coach noted. "We have lots of talent and our chemistry is good. I think if we stay healthy we can win at a high level. It's tough to win on the road in the RMAC, but if we can win most of our home games and get a few big wins on the road, we'll be right there."

Francis added that the energy and enthusiasm the students displayed helped spark his team to play so well Monday. He hopes the young fans will encourage their parents to come along and take them to the Chicoine Center on a regular basis.

The next opportunity for fans to see the Eagles in action in Chadron will come after the Christmas holiday break. Chadron State will host Colorado School of Mines and Regis on Thursday, January 9 and Saturday, January 11, respectively. Prior to that, the Eagles are on the road this Thursday in Brookings, South Dakota to play Division I South Dakota State in an exhibition match.
 
Central Christian—Jevarrick Butler 17, Malachi Farr 14, Jaeden Whitten 5, Travis King 4, Maulana Oman 3, Bruce Gee 3, Juwan Shaw 2, Andruw Rondon 2, Totals: 18-65 FG (8-41 3PT) 6-11 FT. 50 points, 24 rebounds, 10 assists, 10 turnovers. 

Chadron State—Darrius Miles 22, Julio Phipps 19, Dillon Peterson 15, Trey Ballard 15, Zach Smith 9, Jalen Thomas 9, John Jenkins 8, Zy Wright 6, Jalen Davis 3, Jasiya DeOllis 1. Totals: 43-64 FG (16-23 3PT) 5-9 FT. 107 points, 50 rebounds, 26 assists, 12 turnovers.

              Central Christian         25         25         ---50
              Chadron State             53         54        ---107
              3-pointers: CSC—Peterson 5, Ballard 5, Davis, Jenkins, Miles, Phipps, Smith, Thomas, all 1. CCC—Butler 3, Farr 2, Gee 1, Maulana 1, J Whitten 1

Wright Named RMAC Offensive Player of the Week

 
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Chadron State guard Zy Wright earned the RMAC Offensive Player of the Week award after scoring 24 points in back-to-back games last week. 

Wright was Chadron State's leading scorer in the Eagles' 66-62 win over CSU Pueblo, which had entered the game with a 7-1 record. The senior guard shot 50 percent from the field, making 6 of 12 attempts, and made 10 of 10 free throw attempts, the most free throws without a miss by an RMAC player in a game this season. 

The 24 points were an NCAA career high for the Georgia native, who played two years at Gordon State junior college and one season for the University of Texas-Permian Basin before transferring to the Eagles this year. After setting his career high Thursday, however, Wright wasting no time in matching it the following game. 

The senior scored 24 points once again during Saturday's 84-79 loss to UCCS, shooting 9-for-16 from the floor. Aside from his scoring, Wright also averaged seven rebounds, two steals and 1.5 assists per game over the course of the week. As a result of his two 24-point games, Wright is now the team's leading scorer at 11.0 points per game, edging out grad transfer guard Jalen Thomas (10.9).

Wright is the first CSC player to win weekly honors from the RMAC since Martin Poznanovic took home the offensive honor on December 18, 2023. CSU Pueblo's De'Shaun Cooper took home the RMAC Defensive Player of the Week award this week alongside Wright. 

Wright was also instrumental in CSC's 107-50 Monday win over NAIA squad Central Christian, scoring six points on 3-for-6 shooting and pulling in a game-high nine rebounds. 

Chadron State faces Division I South Dakota State in an exhibition game this Thursday at 7 p.m., then the Eagles are off through the holiday season. They will resume RMAC play on Thursday, January 9 against Colorado School of Mines at the Chicoine Center.
 

Gehlhausen, Jacobsen Place At Midwest Classic

INDIANAPOLIS – Two Chadron State men's wrestlers earned placings at the prestigious 45th Midwest Classic, with redshirt junior Keegan Gehlhausen placing fifth at 184 pounds and freshman Hunter Jacobsen finishing seventh at 125 pounds. 

As a team, Chadron State finished in 22nd place out of 43 competing teams, more than holding its own in a classic which featured 19 of the 25 teams ranked in the latest NWCA Team Rankings. 
Gehlhausen, Chadron State's only nationally ranked wrestler who entered the tournament ranked No. 14 in the nation at 184 according to the NWCA, is likely to see his star continue to rise after following up his win at the UNK Open with a fifth-place finish in Indianapolis. 

The Pinedale, Wyoming native defeated three higher-ranked wrestlers on his march to a top-five finish, with both of Gehlhausen's losses over the course of the open coming to nationally-ranked wrestlers as well. 

Gehlhausen opened with two victories over RMAC rivals, beating Adams State's Sergio Zaragoza by major decision 15-6 and knocking off No. 9-ranked Jason Bynarowicz of Colorado Mesa in a 6-5 decision. Gehlhausen pulled out another one-point win in the quarterfinal, defeating the nation's No. 4-ranked wrestler, Central Missouri's Damon Ashworth, by a 9-8 score. 

After back-to-back losses to the No. 3 and No. 11-ranked wrestlers in the nation, Gehlhausen closed his tournament with a 4-2 decision win over Upper Iowa's Colter Bye, ranked No. 10 in the country, to seal fifth place and Gehlhausen's third top 10 win of the tourney. 

Hunter Jacobsen, a true freshman from Waverly High School in Lincoln, becomes the first CSC true freshman to place at the Midwest Classic with his seventh-place finish. Jacobsen won his first three matches, one by tech fall and two by decision, including a second-round win over No. 14-ranked Luke Acuna of Ashland. 

The freshman's two losses came to top-seven national opponents who he will likely see more of during the RMAC season – No. 2 ranked Isaiah Gamez of Adams State and No. 7 Daysen Torgerson of Colorado Mesa. 

Jacobsen's crowning achievement on the day was a win over No. 9-ranked Trevon Gray of Pitt-Johnstown in the seventh-place match. Jacobsen finished the two-day classic with a 5-2 record, giving him the most victories of the open among Eagle wrestlers.

The third and final Eagle to make the second day of the Midwest Classic was junior Logan Berger at 174 pounds, who went 3-1 on day one including a win over No. 15-ranked Wyatt Reisz of Colorado School of Mines, but lost a consolation match on day two. 

The only other Eagle with multiple wins was Tayten Gillette, who went 2-2 at 165 pounds. Several Eagles – Cyrus Wells at 141, Torry Early at 149, Dominic Joyce at 197 and Cody Pinkerton at 285 – went 1-2 at the tournament. James Davis (133) and Brandon Paredes (157) filled out the Eagles' lineup. 

Chadron State men's wrestling is now done with competition through the Christmas break and the month of December. January will bring a shift for CSC as the Eagles will begin a series of seven RMAC duals in the span of six weeks from January 10 to February 14. 

Chanthasone Leads Eagles At North Central Open

NAPERVILLE, Ill. – Mana Chanthasone was the consolation bracket champion at 103 pounds to highlight Chadron State women's wrestling's performances at the stacked North Central Women's College Open on Sunday. 

The open, which featured all five of the top five ranked programs in the NCAA among its 30 participating programs, hosted 11 Chadron State wrestlers and 426 total participants.

Chanthasone lost in the first round of the bracket to Schreiner University's Odelia Lopez, the No. 6-ranked wrestler in the nation and the No. 1-ranked wrestler in the region at 103 pounds, but rallied to win five consecutive matches after that to take home the consolation championship. 

Chanthasone immediately dispatched another regionally ranked wrestler in her second match in the open when she defeated Lindenwood's Megan Valdez, Region 6's No. 4-ranked wrestler, via an 18-9 decision. From there, Chanthasone tallied a pair of 10-0 tech fall wins over wrestlers from Eastern Oregon and Gannon. 

In the fourth round of the consolation bracket, Chanthasone defeated Zurri Zamora of North Central, the tournament hosts and the No. 3 program in the country, in a down-to-the-wire 14-12 decision. The Chadron State sophomore was then dominant in the consolation final, pinning Midland's Zoe Omura in 1:49 to take home the consolation title. 

While no other Eagles placed or made a consolation final, several other CSC wrestlers had positive results in the large-field event. In the same 103-pound bracket, Brianna Vollendroff went 2-2 with a pin, while Heavynne Robles-Wright at 110 pounds and Sicily Frates and Ella Shevlin at 180 also had multiple wins prior to being eliminated. 

Several Eagles had the opportunity to compete against top competition. CSC's Shania Wear wrestled the nation's No. 7 wrestler (King's Claire Booe) in the first round, Frates battled the nation's No. 5-ranked 180-pounder (North Central's Shenita Lawson) in the championship bracket and Eagle 207-pounder Esther Peters tangled against No. 8-ranked Caroline Ward of North Central, losing in a narrow 4-0 decision.

Rylee Balcazar (110 pounds) and Karstin Hollen (145 pounds) also competed in the "A" brackets for Chadron State at the open, while freshman Trona Bates (124 pounds) and sophomore Hattie Baldwin (138 pounds) competed in "B" brackets.

The Eagles are now done competing until the other side of the Christmas break. They will return to the mat on Thursday, January 9, for an open hosted by Dickinson State University in Rapid City. 
Chadron State, which has a 1-3 dual record and an 0-2 mark in RMAC duals this season, will return to the dual format January 17 when the Eagles host RMAC rival Colorado Mesa for a dual at the Chicoine Center.