With two days of practice under their belts after an NCAA mandated week off, the Fort Lewis College basketball teams are ready to tip-off the rest of the second half of the season Friday at Whalen Gymnasium in Durango.
No. 15 Fort Lewis College women’s basketball will get it going at 3 p.m. Friday against Chadron State, and the 22nd-ranked FLC men will follow at 5 p.m. in a rare afternoon doubleheader. The teams will be back on the floor Saturday at the regular times of 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. against two tough Regis teams.
“The first games after break are always tricky,” FLC men’s coach Bob Pietrack said. “We are thankful to be at home playing at Whalen Gymnasium. With the students gone for holiday break, we are going to need the community’s support more than ever over this four-game home stand.”
The FLC women (11-1, 5-1 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) are on a six-game winning streak and have gone 7-0 at home this season. Players were dealing with some nagging injuries and illness before the break, and women’s head coach Jason Flores is pleased with what he saw in practice when the women returned to the floor for practice.
Still, the FLC teams are one of only four in the conference who have to play Friday, and Regis isn’t one of them, so the Rangers will be fresh Saturday coming into Durango to play the FLC teams who played Friday.
“It’s a short turnaround, and we couldn’t practice until Wednesday, so we got two days of practice and it’s back to play,” Flores said. “Scheduling is tough, but the thought with the conference is that it is big on competitive balance, and this is one of thsoe instances where there’s not a competitive balance with this. One team doesn’t play the night before and just has to prepare for one game for the week, and that makes a difference.
“We were in the same situation last year, and we’re in it again this year. At least we’re at home this time and not traveling between games.”
Both Chadron State teams will enter with 3-9 overall records and a 1-5 mark in RMAC play. Saturday will be a big night of action, as the Regis men are 10-2 overall while the women are 5-6, and both Regis teams are 4-2 in the conference.
The FLC men (9-2, 5-1 RMAC) are one of four teams in the RMAC with only one conference loss, and Regis is nipping on the heels of that pack.
“The truly fun part of the season lies ahead, and we are looking forward to all the challenges that the grueling RMAC schedule brings,” Pietrack said.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
