CHEYENNE, WY – The Laramie County Community College men's basketball team got behind their star sophomore Xavier McCord on Wednesday night to come from as many as 12 down in the second half to defeat Western Wyoming Community College 88-86 at Storey Gym.
The win moves the Golden Eagles to 11-7 overall and 2-0 in Region IX North play in their pursuit of the right to host the Region IX Championships later this year.
"You have to win at home," Head Coach DeWayne Saulsberry emphasized. "When you lose at home it requires you to go on the road and get that one back. You're talking driving three or four hours, getting off the bus and playing. It's difficult to do so you have to take care of home and that's what we did."
Laramie County started out with a very balanced attack in the first half, and they kept the Mustangs from getting on any long runs to go into the half with the score in favor of LCCC 39-37.
The second half started with a 5-0 run from Western Wyoming that gave them a 42-39 lead which they would hold and build on most of the half, getting their biggest lead at 12 with 6:21 remaining in the game.
You could say it was then that McCord turned his game into overdrive, but really, he kept the Golden Eagles in the game the entire half, scoring the first 10 points of the half, and by games end, all but 10 of the 49 points LCCC scored in the second.
"The guys did such a good job looking for me, allowing for me just to create and that really just opened it up a lot for me," McCord said of the effort. "Me being confident, I'm just going to attack the hoop and do what I do best."
McCord would pull the Golden Eagles to within three at 84-83 with 1:37 remaining and a steal forced by Jordan Reed would give the ball back and give McCord the opportunity to cut the game to 84-83.
Both Western Wyoming and LCCC would trade baskets on the next two possessions, and with just 15 second remaining, McCord again went to work, scoring his 48th point of the night to put Laramie County up 87-86.
On the next trip down the court, WWCC tried to pass the ball into the corner, and McCord laid out onto the floor to force a turnover and force the Mustangs into fouling to keep their chances alive.
"They ran that play two times," Saulsberry said. "The first time Xavier fouled him. I told him they were going to run it again and I told him to use his body, fight, and we'll live with the results. I'll put Xavier playing defense against anybody's offense."
A Ben Hageman free throw gave LCCC the two-point edge and the defense forced a buzzer beater that came up short, giving the Golden Eagles the important win in the conference standings.
Laramie County was led by McCord's 48 points to go with ten rebounds and three assists, all of which were team highs for the game. The 48 points is good for third place in LCCC history for a single game performance and just three off of the all-time record of 51 set by Eric Oliver in 2020.
"It's hard to put into words that (McCord) means to me personally," Saulsberry said. "He's got a lot of heart and this team, they follow him. I'm just really proud. I just kept asking him 'are you ok', 'are you tired', and he said no coach, I still got some. We rode him tonight and he had to turn into superman."
Tristan Starks finished with 12 points and for the second time this season had six steals. Hageman was the only other Golden Eagle in double figures with ten points.
As a team, LCCC had 15 steals and was plus 13 in the turnover category, with WWCC turning it over 26 times in the game.
"I think really what won that game is the stops," McCord said. "Just executing throughout the plays and buckling down that second half.
The Golden Eagles also had one of their best performances from the free throw line, going 22-28 as a team for 78.6 percent.
The homestand continues for LCCC on Saturday when they host Casper College at Storey Gym. Opening tip is scheduled for 4:00 for the men's game and tickets can be purchased at www.golccc.com.