After opening its season with a pair of victories over teams from Texas, the Chadron State College women’s basketball team will play two games in a classic at Montana State Billings this week.
The Eagles will meet Concordia University from Portland, Ore., at 5 p.m. Thursday and then play the host Yellowjackets at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Chadron State’s young team trailed by four points at halftime in both games last weekend, but slipped past Texas A&M International 63-56 on Friday night and edged Texas A&M-Kingsville 57-56 Saturday night. It’s the first time the Eagles have begun the season 2-0 since 2000-01.
Coach Janet Raymer was pleased with her team’s effort and ability to wear down the opponents while using 12 players in both games. She said the Eagles have lots to learn, and need more productivity on the inside, but she likes their potential.
Chadron State and the Concordia Cavaliers have never met previously in any sport.
Concordia opened its season last weekend by defeating Cal State Monterey 64-51 and losing to Stanislaus State, another California school, 72-68, in overtime. The top four scorers from last year’s 12-16 team have returned, including Danielle Hartzog, a 5-9 senior who averaged 12 points a game.
Bailey Cartwright, a 6-1 junior, had 12 points and 15 rebounds in the win over Monterey.
Montana State-Billings also has returned most of last year’s team that finished 8-20 and defeated the Eagles 66-60 in Chadron in late November.
The Yellowjackets opened this season by going 2-0 while playing two California teams last weekend. They edged Academy of Art 68-65 and thumped Holy Names 96-57.
After missing most of last year because of an injury, Billings’ senior guard, Alisha Breen, scored 44 points, claimed 12 rebounds and handed out 13 assists in the two games to earn the Great Northwest Athletic Conference’s Player of the Week honor.
The Eagles will play Nebraska-Kearney at home at 5:30 Tuesday, Nov. 21 and visit the University of Denver the following night for an exhibition game prior to taking a break during Thanksgiving weekend.
Trio of Recruits Sign with Lady Eagles
Three prized recruits signed National Letters of Intent to play women’s basketball at Chadron State College in the early roundup of signees who made commitments starting November 8.
Two are from the Western Slope of Colorado, and one is from the Nebraska Panhandle.
One of the Colorado players, Angelique Gall, is a 5-10 forward from Fruita Monument High. Entering her senior season, she has averaged double-figure scoring the past two years, earning First Team All-League both as a sophomore and as a junior. Over that span, Gall helped her team tp a 42-8 record, two league titles, and a pair of state playoff appearances.
Another is Tatum Peterson, who as a junior last season at Glenwood Springs High, nearly averaged a double-double with 13.9 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. The six-foot forward earned all-conference honors last year after leading the Western Slope League in rebounds and finishing third in both scoring and blocks (1.6 per game). She received league honorable mention in 2016.
The third signee is Jori Peters of Mitchell, Nebraska. The 5-4 guard earned All-State honorable mention in 2017 after she helped her Mitchell High team to an undefeated run through the district regular season and tournament, averaging 14 points, 4.3 assists, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.6 steals. Peters was named the Scottsbluff Star-Herald’s Dynamic Dozen No. 1 Female Athlete of 2016-17.
All three are high school seniors and will enroll in fall of 2018.