By: Paxton Ritchie
CSC Sports Information Director
CHADRON, Neb. – In a season that has featured some negative moments at the buzzer, Jalen Thomas made up for them all with one shot. And in a season where Chadron State was picked 15th in the RMAC, the Eagles are going to the RMAC Tournament.
Thomas buried a contested mid-range jumper with 0.7 seconds remaining to lift Chadron State to an 84-82 victory over Fort Lewis at the Chicoine Center. The win clinched an RMAC Tournament berth for the Eagles (14-13, 10-9 RMAC), who have now qualified for the RMAC tourney for the third consecutive season.
While CSC is for sure in the tournament, their seed is not yet finalized. The Eagles are still in eighth place in the RMAC standings and will need a win on Saturday plus some losses from other schools to move up in the seed order.
On Thursday, Chadron State overcame a five-point halftime deficit and scored the final five points of the game, with Zy Wright hitting a game-tying three-pointer with 58 seconds remaining to knot up the score at 82-82 before Thomas's game-winning basket.
Wright scored 28 points, his second-highest point total of the season, to lead the Chadron scoring effort. Thomas finished with 19 points while Julio Phipps (12) and Darrius Miles (10) joined CSC's guard duo in double figures.
Chadron State dominated the rebounding battle, grabbing 48 boards to the Skyhawks' 35. Phipps grabbed 10 rebounds to finish with his third double-double of the year and second in CSC's last three games, while John Jenkins had a team-high 11 rebounds to go with eight points.
The Eagles also blocked eight shots as a team, which doubles CSC's highest single-game total this season and is the third-highest single-game total in the RMAC this year. Miles led the way with a game-high three while Phipps and Jenkins swatted two apiece and Trey Ballard had one.
Chadron State shot 43.5 percent from the field. They were only 22.2 percent (6-27) from three-point range but got to the line and sunk 85.7 percent of those attempts (18-21), with Zy Wright going 10-for-11 from the stripe on his own.
The game featured five ties and 12 lead changes and was played at a frenetic pace thanks to Fort Lewis's high-pressing, up-tempo style. When Chadron State was able to beat the press, they got easy looks inside, outscoring Fort Lewis 42-30 on points in the paint.
Fort Lewis shot well early, sinking 47 percent from the field and 45 percent (9-20) from deep in the first half, but cooled to shoot 31.4 percent from the field and just 2 of 10 from distance after halftime.
The Eagles trailed by eight with 9:12 to play at 67-59, but Julio Phipps sunk a three-pointer and Trey Ballard hit a jumper to cut it to a one-basket lead. After two FLC free-throws, Thomas sunk his second three-pointer of the night (his first two makes from beyond the arc since January 18) to make it 69-67.
Down 73-70, the Eagles took the lead with a 6-0 run on a John Jenkins dunk, Zy Wright jumper and Thomas fastbreak layup. The lead would seesaw back to the Skyhawks, who were up 82-79 before losing Wright on defense for a wide-open three that tied the score with a minute to go.
Fort Lewis missed three straight field goals on one possession, getting two offensive boards before Zy Wright wrangled a rebound and got it to Thomas for the game's final play. The Chadron guard nearly lost the ball but kept his dribble and launched an arcing, pull-up jumper from midrange on the right side that swished through and sent the Chicoine Center into a frenzy.
There were still 0.7 seconds on the clock, but Wright intercepted Fort Lewis's desperation full-court pass attempt to seal the win.
The Eagles will now face Adams State on Senior Day at 3 p.m., with Senior Day ceremonies prior to the game.
Chadron State— Zy Wright 28, Jalen Thomas 19, Julio Phipps 12, Darrius Miles 10, Trey Ballard 8, John Jenkins 7. Totals: 30-69 FG, 6-27 3PT, 18-21 FT. 84 points, 48 rebounds, 11 assists, 15 turnovers.