Against Chadron:
Friday night's overtime contest against the Chadron State Eagles was like many of the Cowboy's home contests, close. With 4 technical fouls called against the Eagles during regulation play (one for flopping, two for unsportsmanlike conduct, and one against the Eagle's head coach) the Cowboys were able to keep themselves in the game with free throws.
NMHU shot 63 free throws and made 45, putting them at 71% from the line. Throughout the game there were 22 lead changes, and 15 ties, but Highlands lead for 26 minutes of the game. Both teams scored 34 points in the paint, and 11 second chance points.
Although the teams' bench points were within 2 points of one another, (CSC 47, and NMHU 45) it was Highlands' bench that secured the victory in the overtime defeat. With both Raquan Mitchell, and Sammy Barnes-Thompkins fouled out before the end of regulation, it provided opportunity for other players to step up. One of which was DJ Bustos, who converted 3 free throws off of a 3 point foul committed by the Eagles, and Jalen Munn with 8 made free throw attempts.
DJ Bustos had a solid performance with 20 points off of 5-9 shooting and Sammy Barnes-Thompkins finished with 33 points and 3 assists. Mitchell had 11 points and 3 assists.
Against Metro:
The Cowboys started off hot against the Roadrunners in the first 3 minutes of the game, and never looked back. A 13-0 run in the first half put the Cowboys in a position to lead by as much as 23 points in the first 20 minutes of the contest.
MSU-Denver struggled offensively, shooting just 30% from the field and 15% from the 3-point line. The Cowboys defense was locked in as they forced the Roadrunners to turn the ball over 18 times, converting those steals into 27 points. On the other hand, Highlands had a solid offensive night, shooting 40% from the field, and 84% from the free throw line.
The Cowboys had a balanced effort as they had nearly 5 players score in double digits. Raquan Mitchell led all scorers with 24 points 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Sammy Barnes-Thompkins finished with 18 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. DJ Bustos and Darius Harrison both scored 9 points, with Harrison going 5-6 from the line, and Bustos hitting 3 three pointers. Jalen Munn had 8 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals.
Raquan Mitchell's 24 points put him into the 1,000 point club as a Cowboy. Raquan has now scored 1,014 points since he came to Highlands in 2018. Mitchell reached the 1,000 point mark in just 48 games.
Highlands Men's Basketball returns to Wilson Complex next week as they take on Black Hills State University on Friday January 24th, and South Dakota School of Mines & Technology on Saturday January, 25th at 7:00pm.
