GILLETTE, WY - The Laramie County Community College men's basketball team nearly pulled off the upset of Gillette College on Wednesday night but fell short of their bid in the final minutes, dropping their sixth conference game 87-84 to the Pronghorns.
"They just came out and they fought hard," Head Coach DeWayne Saulsberry said. "They never gave up and they competed and that's all I can ask for at this time of year is for guys to stand up and be noticed."
The signs that it would be a back and forth game came early and it took ten minutes before either team was able to break away from the other by more than one or two possessions. Gillette was the first to strike, going on a 9-0 run with 9:33 remaining in the opening half to take a 27-18 advantage. A timeout by Saulsberry slowed the push, but with 6:30 to go, the lead grew to what would be a game high ten point advantage for the Pronghorns at 38-28.
LCCC caught fire at that moment and out of the second media timeout proceeded to use the momentum from an Ejay Scroggins three to explode on a 12-0 run of their own to take a 40-38 advantage. A three by Gillette College and a late bucket from the Golden Eagles sent the game to the lockerrooms with LCCC in front 42-41.
"These guys all year long I feel like have played really well but just haven't played very tough and for that stretch we played really tough," Saulsberry said.
In the second half, the Pronghorns made a surge to reclaim the lead in the opening five minutes, taking it back 52-50 with 15:44 remaining in the game. A 6-0 run that was keyed by some Pedro Ellery threes put LCCC back on top and they would stay there for the next ten minutes, with the game winding into the late stages tied at 79 all with 3:25 left.
That 79 all tie was part of a 9-0 run from the Pronghorns who used the momentum from a large home crowd to take a lead at 83-79. LCCC chipped back into it, closing the gap to just two points twice, at 83-81 and again at 85-83, but Gillette was able to make their free throws down the stretch and iced the game away to take the 87-84 win at home.
Ellery was the leading scorer for the Golden Eagles, cracking the 20 point threshhold for the second time this season with a 21 point effort including going 6-12 from three.
"It just opens the floor up so much for some of those guys who like to drive knowing that (the defense) has to stay close to Pedro," Saulsberry said.
Also in double digits were Jordan Reed with 13, Ejay Scroggins and Phoenix Bullock with 13, and a 10 point effort from Justin Daniels.
Scroggins added six assists and Reed chipped in five more to go with a 10 rebound night. Abdullah Mahamed also picked up double digit rebounds and finished one point shy of the double-double with nine points and eleven boards.
Both sides played well in the game, and it came down to the difference from the free throw line where LCCC finished 16-29 while the Pronghorns made 20-23 attempts.
The loss drops LCCC to 15-13 on the season and 4-6 in Region IX North action. The Golden Eagles return home for their final two games of the regular season on March 1st and 2nd when they host Western Wyoming Community College and Casper College at Storey Gym.
Tickets and more information on these games can be found at www.golccc.com.