The Black Hills State Yellow Jackets came into the weekend tied for second in the RMAC standings with Colorado State University-Pueblo, while on a nine game winning streak vs. RMAC opponents.
And they would leave Pueblo on Saturday night on a two-game losing streak.
The ThunderWolves women’s basketball team held the Yellow Jackets to 21 percent shooting, allowing 19 points in the first half leading up to a 69-53 victory.
“Our number one goal coming in was, we got to guard them. If you look, they were averaging around 70, 71 [points per] game, coming in. They’re one of the top offensive teams in our league,” said head coach Kip Drown. “We really put an emphasis on coming out and guarding them right off the bat.”
With the victory, the ThunderWolves ensured that they remain in sole possession of second place in the RMAC standings at 11-2, trailing only Colorado Mesa, which is ranked fourth in the nation.
“Our goal is to win it, but that’s out of our control right now,” Drown said. “All we can do is go out and try to play good basketball and keep trying to win games.”
Leading the way for the Pack, who managed to get four players in the double digit scoring range, was Taylor Fox, who finished the game with 19 points and nine rebounds.
“She’s just had a great senior year. I couldn’t be happier for somebody. Super quality kid,” Drown said. “To step up this year and have the kind of year she has had – she’s paid her dues in this program. And as a coach, you appreciate people who keep working hard and she has done that.”
After the weekend sweep, the ThunderWolves will go on the road to play New Mexico Highlands and Western New Mexico next Friday and Saturday.
“You just try to go and complete, find a way to win. You got to find a way to make a play. It’s always tougher down there, as that’s one of the tough places to play,” Drown said. “Luckily, we still have five kids, four seniors and a junior who have done that now for three years. They understand the trip, they understand how tough it is.”