Longhorns jump back to C1, battle weather and opponents

    The Chase County boys’ basketball team made the move back to Class C1 this year and finished with a 10-13 record.
    Besides the games played, the season can also be remembered for the games that were canceled, forfeited and rescheduled.
    CCS was forced to forfeit its first game of the Sidney tournament Dec. 29 to Gordon-Rushville after a winter storm.
    Another storm forced the cancellation of the Longhorns’ Jan. 3 game with Dundy County Stratton.
    The SPVA tournament schedule was also adjusted to allow girls’ games to be moved from Thursday to Friday.
    Once on the court, CCS faced a tough schedule.
    Head Coach Chris Bartels said Chase County opponents had an average winning percentage of 61%, giving CCS one of the five hardest schedules in Class C1.
    “I think what stands out to me the most from this season is the six-day stretch in February when we played four games versus teams with winning records,” Bartels said.
    The Longhorns won three of those games, only losing to state qualifier DCS.
    “I thought we played some pretty good basketball during that stretch,” Bartels commented.
    The season started off with a bang. CCS came back from a 4-22 first quarter deficit against Cozad to win by 10 points, 59-49.
    Bartels said it’s one of the craziest games he’s ever been a part of and goes to show how basketball is a game of momentum, and it’s never over until the final buzzer sounds.
    All in all, CCS scored 1,086 points this season while giving up 1,162.
    Kade Anderson, Stephen Murray and Colin O’Neil were this year’s seniors.
    “They all brought something unique and important to the team,” Bartels said.
    Murray started school at CCS after last year’s basketball season.
    “Stephen was a fantastic addition to the senior class. He brought great energy and effort every day and that rubbed off on his teammates. I wish he could have played more, but he battled a shoulder injury for a lot of the season. Stephen made a lot of good things happen when he was on the floor,” Bartels said.
    O’Neil epitomizes the definition of a great teammate, according to Bartels.
    “He was a dedicated member of this basketball team for four years and it was a pleasure to coach him. His positive attitude and energy was exactly what our team needed and I really appreciate that from him,” Bartels added.
    Anderson was a three-year starter for CCS.
    That doesn’t happen often, Bartels said.
    “He led the team in scoring his last two seasons and he rebounded the ball well for us, too. It was fun watching him grow as a player over his four year career,” Bartels said.
    Most importantly, Bartels added, these three seniors are great kids with bright futures and it was a pleasure to coach and teach them.
    Juniors Easton Fries, Jensen Olsen and Zane Mays, as well as sophomores Camron Lempke and Tristan Jablonski, were consistent contributors throughout the season.
    Olsen averaged 10.3 ppg and 7.0 rpg.
    Fries, Lempke and Jabloski rounded out the Longhorns’ top five scorers.
    “I thought this team battled through the tough schedule and injuries throughout the season while continuing to improve on the court,” Bartels said.
    With a yearly goal to be playing their best basketball at the end of the season, Bartels said the Longhorns were doing just that.
    “We took Cozad right down to the wire in our subdistrict game, and I was proud of how hard our guys battled,” he said.
    Bartels also pointed out that 21 of Chase County’s 24 players were in grades 9-11 this season.
    “We will have a lot of experience coming back next year. We have a lot of work to do, but I am excited about the future of this team,” Bartels said.