Preview: Laramie County at Otero, Men’s Junior College Basketball

LA JUNTA, Colo. (Interstat) — The Otero College Rattlers will seek to build on a rare victory and reverse a lopsided recent history when they host the Laramie County Community College Golden Eagles in a men’s junior college basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026.

Otero (1-10) snapped a 10-game losing streak with a 74-59 home win over Western Wyoming on Monday. The Rattlers’ last win prior to that came against the same Golden Eagles program they will face Saturday, though that victory occurred in the 2024-25 season. In this season’s meeting on Nov. 29 in Cheyenne, Laramie County (6-8) dominated Otero, 112-74.

The Golden Eagles enter following a heartbreaking 85-84 road loss at Trinidad State on Friday, a game in which they let a late lead slip away. They have lost two straight and six of their last eight.

A key player for Laramie County is sophomore guard TJ Coulter, who is coming off a stellar 25-point, six-rebound performance in the loss to Trinidad State. In his last three documented games, Coulter is averaging over 24 points per contest.

For Otero, guard Jye Barlow is listed as a player to watch, though he logged only one minute in the team’s most recent win. The Rattlers will likely need a collective effort to improve upon their early-season struggles, which include losses by an average margin of 22.5 points in their 10 defeats.

According to Interstat’s game simulator, this contest is projected to be a toss-up, with a predicted final score of 100-100.

For Laramie County, this begins a stretch of three consecutive road games. Otero will hit the road for two games in Nebraska next weekend.