Men’s basketball scores victory in season opener

The CLC men’s basketball team was ready to get things underway Friday night at their season opener game. With a roster nearly filled with Freshman, there was some pre-game jitters for everyone on the court. Head Coach Jim Russell didn’t know what to expect.

“The thing that worries me the most is I don’t know what to expect. I haven’t slept much the last few days trying to put things together, but it’s supposed to be that way,” he said.

The Raiders got off to a slow start shooting 10 for 25 from the field in the first half, and 5 for 18 from the behind the arc. Russell told his team to attack the basket at half time.

“We have to work the ball inside out,” he said. “Wings get wide and run your lanes, attack the basket when the ball is swung around and let’s get post entries.”

The Raiders had a stellar 2nd half performance en route to their 71-46 victory over Minnesota State Community Technical College – Fergus Falls. They fixed their issues from the first half in the second half. The Raiders attacked the basket and ran their halfcourt offense primarily through the bigs. TrayVon Lackey lead by example relentlessly attacking the basket and finishing in transition. He finished with 10 points and shot 80 perfect from the field. Lackey is one of just five sophomores on the team.

Timothy Boyd played a pivotal role in the Raiders offense off of the bench. Boyd and the Raiders bigs are very good passers and found shooters all night. Jon Olson lit it up. He led the team in scoring with 14 points and hit four three-pointers. With Boyd’s willingness to go to work on the low block, it draws help defenders where he can simply kick it out to knockdown shooters like Olson.

The Raiders hope to get off to a faster start this Friday, when United Tribes Community College comes into town. They are a division up on the Raiders and look to play fast paced high scoring games. The Raiders showed growth by focusing and executing their halftime game plan. They look forward to United Tribes and expect nothing less than a victory.