Preview: Eastern Wyoming Lancers at Casper Thunderbirds

CASPER, Wyo. (Interstat) — Two men’s junior college basketball teams seeking to halt extended slides will meet Saturday when the Eastern Wyoming Lancers visit the Casper Thunderbirds.

Both squads enter the Region IX matchup at the Swede Erickson Thunderbird Gymnasium mired in lengthy losing streaks. The visiting Lancers (4-18 overall) have dropped three straight and 10 of their last 11 games. The Thunderbirds (5-14) are on a five-game skid and have lost nine of their last 10.

The game represents a chance for either team to find a rare positive result in a difficult season. Eastern Wyoming’s last win was a 65-61 home victory over Central Wyoming on Jan. 24. Casper’s most recent win was an 88-86 decision over Dawson back on Nov. 28.

A key player to watch for Eastern Wyoming will be Isiah Ayala. The guard is coming off a 34-minute performance in that Jan. 24 win, where he scored 14 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished three assists. He followed that with 18 points and five rebounds in a loss to Gillette on Jan. 21.

Casper will counter with forward Channing Cade, who is fresh off a dominant double-double in Wednesday’s 77-67 loss at Northwest. Cade played 37 minutes, scoring 17 points and hauling in 15 rebounds. Teammate Aaron Sievert added 21 points in that contest.

The Lancers’ offense has struggled during their slump, failing to reach 70 points in four of their last five games. The Thunderbirds have shown more offensive pop but have been plagued by defensive lapses, allowing an average of 94.2 points during their five-game losing streak.

This is the first of two scheduled meetings between the teams this season. They are slated to play again in Torrington on Wednesday, Feb. 18.

Up Next: Following Saturday’s game, Casper travels to face Laramie County on Wednesday, Feb. 4. Eastern Wyoming’s next contest is at home against Northwest on Thursday, Feb. 5.