CHADRON – Both Chadron State College basketball teams will be seeking their first victories of the season this weekend when they open their Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference schedules at home against a pair of Colorado teams.
Colorado Mesa, located at Grand Junction, will visit Friday night, while Western State, which is in Gunnison, will be the opponent Saturday night. The women’s games will open the action at 6 o’clock, followed by the men’s contests at about 8.
The CSC men are 0-4 after also playing some rugged non-conference foes. Transfer Zac Bargen is averaging 15.8 points and 6.3 rebounds to lead the Eagles in both categories. Freshman point guard Justyn Anderson is next in scoring at 10 points a game.
Three more Eagles, transfer Grant Stone, junior David Downey and senior Josh Hatcher, are averaging between 6.8 and 8.5 points a game.
Kyle Vinich, a part-time starter last year as a true freshman, joined the team over the weekend after being given a week off following the football season. Coach Brent Bargen said he believes the 6-4 Vinich will give the Eagles a more physical presence in the middle and help with the rebounding.
Both Colorado Mesa teams have their seasons off to a good start.
The Mesa women are 4-0 and the Mavericks’ men are 3-1.
The Mesa men opened their season by beating Fresno Pacific 82-81 in overtime and losing to Dixie State of Utah 77-65. But last weekend, the Mavericks overwhelmed Northern New Mexico 84-51 and avenged the earlier loss by topping Dixie State 80-61 during a tournament in Grand Junction.
Colton Burgon, a 6-8 senior, leads coach Jim Heaps’ club with averages of 15.5 points and 7.3 rebounds. He’s also blocked nine shots.
Also scoring in double figures are 6-4 senior Jeff Hart at 12.8 points and 6-5 sophomore Mike Melillo at 12 points even.
Melillo is not afraid to shoot 3-pointers. He’s 6 of 23 from behind the arc this season. The Mavericks have an almost 11 per game rebounding bulge over their foes.
The Western State teams are off to a rather slow start this winter. The Lady Mountaineers are 0-4 and have been outscored by an average of 67 to 43.8 points while the Western men are 1-3, but they’ve played two Division I opponents.
There’s something unique about the Western State men’s team. The roster includes both Charles Joseph and Joseph Charles.
But aside from the reversal in names, there’s not much similarity between the two. Charles Joseph is a 6-8, 300-pound center and Joseph Charles is a 5-11, 175-pound guard.
Joseph, the center, was on the team last year and led the Mountaineers when they played in Chadron in February by scoring 19 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, although the Eagles won the game 83-58. So far this season, he’s averaging 12.0 points and 7.0 rebounds.
Charles, the guard, transferred to Western from Northeastern Junior College at Sterling, and is averaging 14.3 points.
The team’s leading scorer is Terrence Boyd, who is averaging 15.3 points a game. Travis Shepherd, the team’s leading 3-point threat (11-25), is close behind at 13 points a game.
The Mountaineers opened the season against Wyoming and the Air Force Academy and lost by scores of 62-42 and102-68, respectively. Since then, they have edged Northern New Mexico 70-68 and lost to Panhandle State of Oklahoma 91-88, despite 27 points by Boyd, 19 by Shepherd, 15 by Joseph and 11 by Charles.