Today Mostly sunny, with a high near 66. West northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tonight Mostly clear, with a low around 34. Calm wind becoming west southwest around 5 mph after midnight.
Category: Local News
NO FOUL PLAY IN BHSU STUDENT DEATH
Spearfish police say there is no foul play suspected in the death of a Black Hills State University student found dead over the weekend. The school says the body of Nicholas Bazemore, of Gillette, Wyo., was found in his residence hall Sunday night.
Counselors met with BHSU students throughout Sunday evening and continue to be available to provide counseling for students, faculty and staff.
BHSU Vice President for Student Life Lois Flagstad says university officials are saddened by the death, and that administrators’ thoughts and prayers are with Bazemore’s family and friends.
HOOPER SCORES 17 AS NU DOWNS PITT. ST.
Lincoln – The Nebraska women’s basketball team jumped into the 2012-13 season by jumping on the Pittsburg State Gorillas with a 44-7 halftime lead on the way to a 78-34 victory on Monday night at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
The Huskers opened exhibition play on a 22-0 run against a Pittsburg State team that advanced to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight last season and finished with a 27-6 record.
The Huskers, who return four starters from last year’s 24-9 squad that advanced to the NCAA Tournament, were led by junior Jordan Hooper. The 6-2 forward from Alliance, Neb., opened and closed the first half with three-pointers on her way to 16 points and six rebounds in the half. The All-American finished with 17 points, nine rebounds and two assists in just 20 minutes while going 7-of-14 from the field and 2-of-4 from long range.
For the game, NU connected on 13-of-24 threes led by 3-of-4 shooting from long range by sophomore guards Brandi Jeffery and Tear’a Laudermill. Jeffery, who earned a start alongside NU’s returning starters Hooper, Lindsey Moore, Emily Cady and Hailie Sample, finished with 11 points and three rebounds in just 16 minutes.
Laudermill dropped in 12 points, while adding four rebounds, two assists and two steals in 14 minutes of action. Another sophomore guard, Rebecca Woodberry, added a 3-for-5 effort from long range to finish with 11 points, while adding three boards and one assist in just 13 minutes. Overall, Nebraska’s three sophomore guards combined for 34 points and 10 rebounds in just 43 minutes while combining for 9-of-13 three-point shooting.
Cady, a Big Ten All-Freshman selection last season, produced an outstanding all-around performance with seven points, nine rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block in 23 minutes. Moore added three points, three rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block in 23 minutes.
Freshman guard Sadie Murren pitched in seven points and three assists in 22 minutes, while sophomore forward Katie Simon added six points and four boards. Junior center Adrianna Maurer contributed four points, four rebounds and two steals while leading the Huskers with 24 minutes. It was Maurer’s first appearance since undergoing season-ending back surgery in January of last year.
For the game, Nebraska hit 45 percent (27-60) of its shots from the field, including 54.2 percent (13-24) of its threes. The Huskers also hit 73.3 percent (11-15) of their free throws. NU outrebounded Pittsburg State, 44-35, and distributed 22 assists compared to just six for PSU. The Gorillas shot just 24.4 percent (11-45) for the game, including just 12.5 percent (2-16) from three-point range. PSU was also just 10-of-22 (45.5 percent) at the line.
Nebraska raced to a 44-7 halftime lead after hitting 17-of-31 shots (54.8 percent), including 7-of-12 threes (58.3 percent). Pittsburg State hit just 2-of-17 shots from the floor in the opening period, including 0-for-5 from long range. The Gorillas were also just 3-of-6 at the line in the half.
No Gorillas managed double figures in the game, but sophomore All-American Lizzy Jeronimus did manage nine points.
“I was really pleased and surprised by our defense,” Nebraska Coach Connie Yori said. “That’s the best defense we’ve played at any point in our practice setting so that’s really positive.”
Nebraska makes its final exhibition appearance on Sunday, Nov. 4 against Nebraska-Kearney. Tip-off between the Huskers and Lopers at the Devaney Center is set for 2:05 p.m.
CSC ARMSTRONG BUILDING GROUNDBREAKING
Homecoming at Chadron State College was capped Saturday afternoon by groundbreaking ceremonies for the multi-million dollar expansion and upgrade of the Armstrong Gymnasium complex.
Just minutes after CSC had defeated Western New Mexico 41-23, the victorious Eagles’ team and the college band led a procession a short distance from Elliot Field to a speakers’ platform just east of the Victory Arch and Bell for the brief ceremony.
CSC Interim President Dr. Randy Rhine told the crowd it will be competitive with any school in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, and said afterward that the day had been a great one in CSC history.
The Nebraska legislature earlier this year approved $6.7-million dollars for the project, while the Chadron State Foundation raised most of the rest through its 5-year Vision 2011 capital campaign…which raised over $16-million dollars for a variety of purposes including the Armstrong project and the new Rangeland Center ag complex.
Weather- Monday, October 29, 2012
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Today Partly sunny, with a high near 63. West wind 5 to 15 mph. -
Tonight Partly cloudy, with a low around 35. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
WHITECLAY MAN SUES LOCAL FIRE DEPT.
A Pine Ridge Reservation man burned in a controlled grass fire in Whiteclay in March has filed a federal negligence lawsuit against Sheridan County, the Rushville Volunteer Fire Department, the village of Rushville, and various elected officials.
51-year old Bryan Bluebird of Pine Ridge says in his lawsuit that authorities failed to spot him lying in a field and ignited the blaze on a dangerously windy day. He is seeking unspecified damages for medical costs, loss of earning capacity and pain and suffering.
The suit is a follow up to the tort-claim notice Bluebird’s attorney, Tom White of Omaha, filed with the county and fire department 6 months ago. White says they didn’t respond to the claim, giving Bluebird the right to sue.
Members of the fire department conducted the controlled burn on a vacant lot on the edge of Whiteclay on March 6th to reduce the threat of fire to Whiteclay.
Bluebird says in the lawsuit that he sat down and fell asleep in the field, then awoke when he “became aware of his hands and feet burning.” He argues that firefighters should have seen him while setting the fire.
Sheridan County Sheriff Terry Robbins, a defendant in the lawsuit, has said firefighters did searched the field before they started the fire.
Those on both sides say intoxicated people have been known to pass out in that field, but Bluebird has insisted he hadn’t been drinking at the time.
Bluebird has said a friend pulled him out of the fire and beat the flames out with his hands as Bluebird drifted in and out of consciousness. He was taken to the IHS hospital in Pine Ridge, where medical staff sedated him, then to a Colorado burn center.
He awoke almost three days later with burns on roughly 25% of his body, including his hands, face, left leg, lower back and abdomen.
Bluebird – an Army veteran who worked laying cinderblocks, branding cattle and fixing cars before the fire – spent several weeks in the Colorado facility, with White saying he’s undergone several surgeries and skin grafts.
White says the fingers on Bluebird’s left hand melted together and are fused, leaving him facing another surgery to see if they can salvage the function in that hand.
CSC MEN’S BASKETBALL EXHIBITION CANCELLED
CHADRON – The Chadron State College men’s basketball team was to open its season Monday night at home with an exhibition game against the Blue Angels, a barnstorming team made up of former college players, by the game has been canceled and won’t be made up.
Instead, CSC’s first action will be a counting game a week later on Monday November 12th again traditional rival Nebraska-Kearney…which left the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference this year for the MIAA. Tip-off time will be 7 pm.
The Eagles, already a young club after graduating 4 seniors…including last year’s top 3 scorers and rebounders, lost point guard Sammy Hines…the only returning full-time starter and one of just 2 seniors…for the season to a torn knee ligament.
Coach Brent Bargen, entering his seventh season at CSC, says Hines was the Eagles’ most-experience and arguably best play, so they’ll definitely miss his skills and leadership. Bargen says the good news is that Hines should return at full speed next year.
The Detroit native, who came to Chadron as a junior college transfer as a sophomore, averaged 8.7 points, sank 42% of his 3-point shots and had more assists than turnovers.
Bargen expects redshirt freshman Justyn Anderson from Las Vegas and true freshman Dominque Watkins of Sand Diego to share the point guard duties with former Scottsbluff High star Tim McDavid helping out.
An injury limited Anderson to just 4 games last year, allowing him to retain the year of eligibility. He averaged over 31 points a game as a high school senior. Watkins averaged about 18 points at San Diego’s Bishop’s High last season and 13.4 points and 4.8 assists his junior year.
McDavid, a junior, joined CSC last year as a junior college transferred and played primarily on the wing. David Downey…another junior and former Scottsbluff guard…is now the only player with more than one season with CSC while forward Josh Hatcher, a transfer last year, is the only senior on the roster.
The Eagles do return 3 sophomore letter winners: 7-0 center Michael Safer and forwards Kendrick Holliman and Kyle Vinich. Vinich started the last half of last season, but is also on the CSC football team and won’t be available until the football season ends. Sophomore center Mouhamed Diop redshirted last year after a preseason injury.
Bargen brought in 3 junior college transfers and two freshmen this year, and one of them is intimately family with the program: his son, 6-5 Zac Bargen. The younger Bargen, an All-State selection at Chadron High, played Butler CC in Kansas the past two seasons, averaging about 9 points and 5 rebounds a game.
The other two transfers are also 6-5. Grant Stone averaged 13.5 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting 44% from 3-point range at Henry Ford Community College in the Detroit area. Chris Taylor, originally from Amman, Jordan, played at southern California’s Irvine Valley College the past 2 years and averaged about 7 points and 3 rebounds.
The other freshmen recruit is Brandon Pippenger, a 6-8 forward who averaged 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks last year at Martin Luther High at Banning, Calif.
Despite losing Hines, Bargen says the Eagles are off to a good start in practice with good leaders and the ability to score with solid depth at all positions with at least two players vying for the starting nod at each. He also likes having 3 promising young centers, all 6-foot-8 or taller.
EAGLES DOWN MUSTANGS IN HOMECOMING BATTLE
CHADRON – The theme for Chadron State College’s 2012 homecoming was “Zombie Apocalypse,” which was fitting because it took until the fourth quarter for the Eagles’ offense to come alive.
Tailback Michael Madkins scored two touchdowns on the ground, Nathan Ross added a 32-yard touchdown reception and the Eagles’ defense stopped the high-flying Western New Mexico offense three times, including once on a goal line stand, in the fourth quarter to earn a gritty 41-23 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference victory Saturday.
Glen Clinton rushed for a career-high 245 yards, including scampers of 63, 48 and 27 yards, and quarterbackJonn McLain completed 20 of 29 passes for 236 yards and three touchdowns as the Eagles, ranked 24th in the current D2football.com Top 25 poll and third in Super Region Four, shook off a shaky start to improve to 7-2 overall and 6-1 in the conference.
Western New Mexico, which has lost to Chadron State seven straight years since joining the RMAC, falls to 4-5 and 3-4 in the league.
Neither team led by more than a touchdown until the fourth quarter and it appeared as if Western New Mexico could spoil the Eagles’ homecoming. However, the tide started to turn in Chadron State’s favor after Western New Mexico kicker Josh McIntire’s third field goal of the day – a 27 yarder – that put the Mustangs up, 23-20.
On the Eagles’ ensuing drive, they marched 86 yards in 11 plays and converted three third downs when McLain found three different receivers. Following a 27-yard pass to Clinton and a 14-yard rush from Chapman Ham, Madkins, who ran for 59 yards in the game, put the Eagles up 27-23 with an 11-yard burst up the middle.
The Mustangs came right back, though, and drove into CSC territory, eventually having a first and goal from the Eagles’ 9-yard line. The CSC defense stood tall and on fourth and goal from the three, Tau Ho Ching and Kevin Lindholm, who had a game-high 17 tackles, stood up John De La Rosa at the one.
Chadron State then needed just three plays to find the end zone again. Clinton gave the Eagles’ offense some breathing room with a 4-yard run up the middle and then he followed with a season-high 63-yard gain. On the next play, McLain found Ross open along the sideline for a 32-yard TD and the Eagles were in firm control, leading 34-23 with just eight minutes to play.
On the Mustangs’ next drive, quarterback Mitch Glasmann, who completed 22 of 41 passes for 271 yards and a touchdown, was intercepted by Trelan Taylor. The Eagles capitalized five plays later when Madkins raced 38 yards and somersaulted into the end zone to put CSC up, 41-23 with three minutes remaining.
Despite the fourth quarter dominance – CSC outgained Western New Mexico, 225 to 101 yards – a majority of the game was nip and tuck. Western New Mexico led three different times and were looking to add more late in the first quarter until linebacker Dylan Furrier forced a fumble that Lindholm, who also had 5.5 tackles for loss, recovered.
Two plays later, McLain found a wide-open Ham for a 58-yard TD that put CSC up 20-17 at halftime.
Western New Mexico scored the only six points in the third quarter and led 23-20 heading into the fourth.
The Eagles rushed for 313 yards in the game and finished with 539 yards of total offense. It was the third time in nine games Chadron State has eclipsed the 500-yard mark.
Chadron State will play at Fort Lewis Saturday. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
WNM 3 14 6 0 – 23
CSC 7 13 0 21 – 41
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
WNM – Josh McIntire 22 field goal
CSC – Kyle Vinich 7 pass from Jonn McLain (Alex Ferdinand kick)
Second Quarter
WNM – John De La Rosa 6 run (Josh McIntire kick)
CSC – Alex Ferdinand 35 field goal
WNM – Marquis Sumpter 37 pass from Mitch Glasmann
CSC – Alex Ferdinand 40 field goal
CSC – Chapman Ham 58 pass from Jonn McLain (Ferdinand kick)
Third Quarter
WNM – Josh McIntire 23 field goal
WNM – Josh McIntire 27 field goal
Fourth Quarter
CSC – Michael Madkins 11 run (Ferdinand kick)
CSC – Nathan Ross 32 pass from Jonn McLain (Ferdinand kick)
CSC – Michael Madkins 38 run (Ferdinand kick)
COLORADO CHRISTIAN DOWNS CSC VOLLEYBALL
LAKEWOOD, Colo. – Colorado Christian’s Taylor Sturms had 13 kills and Ali Weber added nine more as the Cougars turned back Chadron State 25-19, 25-15, 25-23 in a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference match Saturday evening at the CCU Event Center.
The Cougars, now 21-5 and 11-4 in the RMAC, cruised in the first two sets. The first set featured just two ties and CCU led wire-to-wire in the second set.
However, Chadron State (4-20, 2-13 RMAC) made a match out of it in the back and forth third set. The Eagles and Cougars were tied 13 times and it featured five lead changes before CCU’s Kaylee Pierce pounded down the final two kills.
The Eagles had a balanced offense led by its right side and middle hitters. Jessica Jester had a team-high seven kills, Mallory Irvine had six and Kelcey Christian and Lexi Hoagland had five apiece.
Christian also had a team-high three blocks and Jester and Irvine had two apiece.
Also for CSC, Kristina Harter had 13 digs and Mollie Jones chipped in 10.
Chadron State will host Black Hills State Tuesday at 7 p.m.
ALLIANCE FFA FOOD SCIENCE TEAM EARNS SILVER AT NATIONALS
The Alliance FFA Food Science team was awarded a Silver at the National Convention in Indianapolis Oct. 26. Krista Carter and Connor Wright (both on right) earned Bronze awards, Ashtyn Shrewsbury (left) a Gold, and Hannah Kesterson is the individual national champion!
The Food Science and Technology CDE requires students to have an in-depth understanding of food product development and presentation, and food safety issues. Participants use their sensory skills to solve problems and make sound decisions.
Food Science and Technology is one of 24 career development event areas, covering job skills in everything from communications to mechanics. Participants take an objective test, design and formulate or reformulate a simulated food product, practice quality assurance principles, conduct a sensory analysis and apply food safety and sanitation principles. Visit www.ffa.org for more information.