CCS advances to SPVA semis

    After starting off last week with a win over Southern Valley, the Chase County boys’ basketball team headed into the SPVA tournament with losses to Perkins County and Gothenburg.
    CCS, as the fourth seed, started off the tourney in the right way at home Tuesday with a 52-47 win over fifth seeded Hershey.
    The Longhorns will play North Platte St. Pat’s Friday at 5:30 p.m. MT in North Platte.
    The conference championship will be Saturday at 6:30 p.m. MT and the consolation game at 3:30 p.m. MT.
    A full tournament wrap up will be available in next week’s paper.
Three games in four days
    The Longhorns’ win over Southern Valley got off to a slow start. In a low scoring first half, CCS led 12-10 at halftime.
    Both teams heated up in the third quarter. Three pointers by Kade Anderson and Emmitt Zuege helped the Longhorns to a 31-24 lead going into the fourth quarter.
    CCS shut the Eagles down in the fourth quarter and brought home a 45-28 win.
    Keenan Cole totaled 15 points in the win. Tysen Lempke grabbed nine boards and four steals.
    CCS Head Coach Chris Bartels said the Longhorns have been facing zone defenses lately and Cole has been doing a good job finding open spots in the defense.
    Chase County headed to Perkins County Thursday. The score was tied at 11 after a closely contested first quarter.
    The Plainsmen gained some breathing room in the second quarter. CCS got two three pointers from Cole, but struggled to find much more offense. The Longhorns trailed 20-26 at halftime.
    Free throws made the difference in the game and PCS took advantage of their opportunities at the charity stripe in the third quarter, making 7-8 attempts. CCS used 3s by Anderson and Ryan Bernhardt to stay within reach, but still trailed 33-41 at the end of the third quarter.
    The Longhorns made the game interesting in the end. CCS had luck getting to the rim and closed the gap to 43-44 with 2:27 remaining, but PCS finished off scoring with a late conventional three-point play to take the win.
    Rau had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in the 43-47 loss.
    Cole scored 16 points and nabbed nine rebounds.
    CCS lost the following night to Gothenburg 34-53 in Imperial.
    After a close first quarter Gothenburg broke open a 7-7 game with a big offensive second quarter. The Longhorns found themselves trailing 16-30 at halftime.
    Offense continued to be a struggle in the second half. CCS only scored six points in the third quarter and 12 points in the fourth quarter.
    Rau was the only Longhorn in double figures, finishing with 10 points and tied with Cole for a team-high six rebounds. Up next
    Heading into the tournament Bartels said he’s been pleased with the play of his big men, Rau and sophomore Jensen Olsen, as the season has progressed.
    The return to the regular season will be marked by a home game against Haxtun, Colorado Tuesday. CCS will remain at home Jan. 29 for a rematch with Hershey, before the Longhorns hit the road to start the month of February at Yuma, Colorado and North Platte St. Pat’s.