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Bench rises to the occasion

FLC holds off pesky Western State

When opposing teams step onto the court at Whalen Gymnasium, they always seem to bring their best.

That was the case again Sunday night, when Western State battled the Fort Lewis College men’s basketball team down to the wire.

FLC built an early 12-point lead, but the Mountaineers came storming back and took a lead of their own 4 minutes into the second half.

But the Skyhawks (8-3, 3-2 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) received big bench contributions and clutch shooting to stave off Mason Biddle and Western State (2-8, 1-5 RMAC) and take a 92-81 victory heading into the holiday break.

“Any win in this league is a good win. The RMAC is, in our opinion, the best league in Division II,” FLC associate head coach Bob Pietrack said. “Every team is going to play hard. Western played incredibly hard. Did we play as well as we would’ve liked? No. But a win in this league is good. They all count the same.”

The Skyhawks once again were led by senior Alex Herrera of Ignacio. The 6-foot-9 center scored 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting, and he had 15 rebounds for the second consecutive game. He played 38 minutes on the second night of a back-to-back..

“Knowing that the guy that was guarding me was 6-6, I knew I had an advantage,” Herrera said. “They did a good job of adjusting, and that’s when other players like (Cade Kloster, Austin Haldorson, Will Morse and Rasmus Bach) started playing with the double-team coming.”

FLC’s bench outscored Western State’s 27-3, with Haldorson scoring a big 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting, including 2-of-2 from 3-point range. Lucas Archuleta added 12 points in big moments in the second half for FLC, too.

“Haldo and Lucas stepped off the bench for us. That’s what Fort Lewis College basketball is. We always have good players off the bench, and those guys stepped up big,” Pietrack said.

Bach also came off the bench to score 12 points. He was involved in an altercation Saturday night and was expected to be suspended for Sunday’s game, but the league office reviewed the incident and “reinstated” the redshirt freshman guard.

With the game tied at 62, Herrera made a free throw to give the team its lead back. Archuleta followed with a floater in the lane to give FLC a three-point lead it wouldn’t relinquish.

Controversy followed when a Western State basket was not counted in the score book or on the score board. FLC led 72-64 and made a basket, while Western State made two baskets and one free throw, but the scoreboard still showed 74-67.

The two points wouldn’t matter in the end, though, as Kloster and the Skyhawks closed out the final 5 minutes of action strong.

Kloster scored five points in the final 3 minutes of action to help FLC put the game away. He finished with 16 points.

“Each person is going to get their time and looks at the end of the game,” Kloster said. “We just want to work for the best shot; whoever gets it is gonna knock it down.”

The FLC players still were unhappy with their defensive effort, especially on Biddle. The Western State guard finished with 30 points on 11-of-26 shooting. Danny Hopkins added 21 points on 5-of-9 shooting from 3-point range.

“Each game we gotta bring the intensity and gotta play with energy,” Kloster said. “Here at the Whalen, we’re gonna get everyone’s best shot, and we gotta protect home court and play with energy. We can’t be lackadaisical and expect to beat teams.”

FLC has some time off before playing again, which is much needed with illnesses and injuries piling up, Pietrack said.

The Skyhawks’ next game is Jan. 2 at Chadron State before a Jan. 3 game at Black Hills State, completing the longest road trip of the season.

FLC head coach Bob Hofman is satisfied with his team’s performance through the non-conference schedule and first conference games before the New Year, and now he is ready for the meat of the schedule in what he calls the “third season” after break.

“I think we’re very capable the next few games of going on a really good run,” Hofman said Friday night after a loss to Colorado Mesa. “I think when we get back in January, we’re only going to get better. I really feel good about this team’s potential. There’s a huge upside to this group, and I’m looking forward to us coming back to the third season.”

jlivingston@durangoherald.com



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