Region 9 North play tipped off last week with the Rustlers traveling to Casper on Thursday and to Western Wyoming on Saturday. Taking on two teams that have combined to win three out of the last four Region 9 North titles was set to be very challenging. "In my opinion, these two teams have been and still are the best two teams in the North Region. They rarely lose at home, we have had limited success at either place, and both programs know how to win." commented Coach Schmit on his team's first region games. 

 

Casper is coming off winning the Region 9 title in 2023 and has historically been the premiere program in the North. This year's Casper team is no different, loaded with talent, athleticism, and two of the most prolific shooters in all of the NJCAA. "We knew we had to slow down their main scorers if we were to have any chance of winning. Jayden Warren did a masterful job of shutting down their leading scorer holding him to 9 points on 3-17 shooting." 

 

The outcome of the game was not determined until the final couple minutes. With timely 3-point shots from Julian Roberts (17 points) and King Solomon (25), the Rustlers held a lead by 2 with 15 seconds to play. One stop was all they needed to secure the win, which they got. Holding on for victory; 79-77.

 

After the huge win against Casper, CWC traveled south to Rock Springs in the hopes of securing a road sweep. Riding a four game winning streak the Rustlers were posed to make it five straight. For the first 30 minutes of the game CWC held the lead. Getting up as much as 12 points before all momentum went away. "Our shot making left us, our team play left us, Western hit big shot after big shot, and we could never get back to how we were playing early in the game. Props to Western for their comeback, but we also played a major factor in the final score." provided Coach Schmit on the loss. 

 

Central had one of their worst shooting performances of the season. Hitting a dismal 39% from the field and 25% from 3's. One bright spot from the game was the production and play from hometown stud, Lucas Engle. Finishing the game with 12 points and 7 rebounds