Bulldogs Clean Up at Cattle Classic
Chuol Biel prepares to pass the ball at the 2018 Cattle Classic. Photo by Kim Sleeper.
By Jacy Johnston
The Concordia Women’s Basketball team won their home opener in dominant fashion on Nov. 3 against Peru State with a 100-55 win.
The Bulldogs ended the first quarter with a 19-11 lead shooting only 4 for 19 from the field to start the game. In the second quarter, Concordia quickly stretched out their lead. The Bulldog press forced Peru State into 27 turnovers before halftime and quickly got hot behind the three-point line. At the half, the Bulldogs led 50-25. The third quarter was again dominated by the Bulldogs who tallied another 31 points to take the 81-40 lead. All fifteen Concordia players saw action in the game, and 14 Bulldogs scored in the game. Juniors Grace Barry and Taryn Schuette led the team with 12 and 17 points respectively. Junior Philly Lammers and freshman Mackenzie Koepke also tallied double digits for the Bulldogs.
To finish up the action in Walz for Friday, the Concordia men took on No. 25 St. Thomas who traveled from Florida for the Cattle Classic. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 7-2 lead within the first two minutes, but St. Thomas quickly recovered to get back into the game. St. Thomas led 29-21 with 6:32 left in the first half. Junior Tanner Shuck led the Bulldogs on 16-2 run to finish the first half with a 38-33 lead going into the halftime break. During the first half, Shuck tallied 15 points. After the break, Concordia built a solid lead over St. Thomas with transition buckets. The Bulldogs maintained a 10 point lead with 11 minutes left in the game. Going into the final minutes, Brevin Sloup helped to seal the victory with sharp shooting, giving the Bulldogs a 79-60 win. Shuck and Sloup each led the team with 19 points and junior Zach Auguste added 16 points.
Each with a win under their belt, the Concordia basketball teams started Saturday afternoon off with a top-25 women’s contest between No. 15 St. Francis and No. 1 Concordia. The Bulldogs quickly jumped out to a 10-2 lead off of St. Francis turnovers. The Cougars continued to struggle with the press all day long, finishing the game with 41 turnovers. During the first quarter, Concordia gained a 23-13 advantage, but St. Francis closed the scoreboard to 25-19 by the end of the quarter. The Bulldog press continued to pester the Cougars and by halftime, Concordia had a double-digit lead, 43-32. After the break, Concordia asserted themselves ending the third quarter with a 20 point lead with the game at 65-45. The Bulldogs finished the win with a score of 84 to the Cougars’ 55. Lammers led the team with 18 points and helped solidify the backcourt of the press.
“We were really able to settle into our press a bit more and continue to learn each other’s tendencies and how to play effectively and efficiently,” Lammers said.
The Concordia men took the court after the women and continued the positive momentum against Barclay College (Kansas). The Bulldogs led 22-12 with 12 minutes left in the first half, and extended the lead to 20 points only three minutes later. At the half, Concordia had a 64-33 lead over Barclay. In the second half, many Bulldog players saw action and thirteen recorded points in the scorebook in the 97-62 victory.
Concordia had four players total named to the All-Tournament teams. The women had juniors Grace Barry and Philly Lammers while juniors Brevin Sloup and Tanner Shuck were honored for the men’s team.
“It was a really fun weekend for all of us,” said Lammers, “it gave us an opportunity to test ourselves against some great opponents, which is always beneficial.”
The Concordia Men stand at 3-0 on the season and will start conference play in Fremont on Tuesday against Midland with an 8 pm game, following the women’s tip-off at 6 pm. The Concordia women are 4-0 on the season.
Photo gallery of women’s tournaments:
- Photo by Laura Vonkampen.
- Photo by Laura Vonkampen.
- Photo by Laura Vonkampen.
- Photo by Laura Vonkampen.
- Photo by Laura Vonkampen.
- Photo by Laura Vonkampen.
- Photo by Laura Vonkampen.
- Photo by Kim Sleeper.
- Photo by Kim Sleeper.
- Photo by Kim Sleeper.
- Photo by Kim Sleeper.
- Photo by Kim Sleeper.
Photo gallery of men’s tournaments:
- Photo by Kim Sleeper.
- Photo by Kim Sleeper.
- Photo by Kim Sleeper.
- Photo by Kim Sleeper.
- Photo by Kim Sleeper.
- Photo by Kim Sleeper.
- Photo by Kim Sleeper.
- Photo by Kim Sleeper.
- Photo by Kim Sleeper.
- Photo by Kim Sleeper.
- Photo by Kim Sleeper.
- Photo by Kim Sleeper.
- Photo by Kim Sleeper.
- Photo by Kim Sleeper.
- Photo by Kim Sleeper.
- Photo by Kim Sleeper.
- Photo by Kim Sleeper.
- Photo by Kim Sleeper.
- Photo by Kim Sleeper.
- Photo by Kim Sleeper.
- Photo by Kim Sleeper.
- Photo by Kim Sleeper.