Gillette College men fall 87-74 to Western Wyoming in the Region IX semifinals

STERLING, CO by Miles Englehart Gillette News Record

The Gillette College men's basketball team came out of the gates firing in the Region IX tournament semifinals Friday night.

The Pronghorns jumped out to a 13-4 lead, but then No. 15-ranked Western Wyoming Community College took over.

WWCC had a 47-34 lead at halftime, and although the Pronghorns charged back to within two points in the second half, the Mustangs pulled away again for an 87-74 win in Sterling, Colorado, at the Region IX tournament.

After a 13-4 run in the first five minutes of the game, the Mustangs outscored Gillette 43-21 for the remainder of the first half. Western clung to that double-digit lead until there was just over 11 minutes left in the second half.

Sophomore Mason Archambault nailed a 3-pointer to close the gap to 64-54, which began a 14-4 run for the Pronghorns. Isaac Mushila scored six points over the next five minutes and Teonta McKeithen and Jayden Coke each added two during that stretch to cut the lead to 68-66.

That was as close as the Pronghorns would get. The Mustangs closed the game on a 19-8 run and ended Gillette's hopes of a Region IX title.

Coke led the Pronghorns with 16 points, while Mushila finished with 13. Sophomore Bradley Akhile was the other Gillette player in double figures with 11.

As a team, the Pronghorns shot nearly 50% from the field, but couldn't make enough stops. WWCC made 56% of its field goals and also converted on 24-29 free throws.

The loss ends the season for Gillette College, which finishes 26-6 overall.

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