Every game important for CCS boys’ basketball team

    In these days of power points, no team can afford to take a game off, especially if you want to return to the state tournament like the Chase County boys’ basketball team does.
    “With how the NSAA Power Point system works, every single game that we play is important, but there are obviously those matchups that kind of stand out,” Head Coach Chris Bartels said, adding that the Longhorns’ December schedule is always tough and this season is no exception.
    CCS opens the season Thursday at Cozad, then hosts McCook Friday.
    Next week the team will travel to Sidney on Dec. 10, followed by a home matchup against Ogallala the next night.
    The Longhorns will have home games against Wray, Colorado Dec. 18 and Bridgeport Dec. 21 before the Cabela’s Holiday Shootout Dec. 27-29.
    “I love competing against high quality basketball teams that will challenge us, and I see a lot of those teams on our schedule, especially early,” Bartels said.
    Leading Chase County’s squad of 26 this season will be returning letterwinners and starters Keenan Cole, Tysen Lempke and Kade Anderson.
    Other seniors besides Cole and Lempke are Ryan Bernhardt, Nick Rau and Emmitt Zuege.
    Bartels said it’s been a good group that’s been great in the leadership department.
    They’ve been doing a great job leading the team by example and voice during practices so far this year, and Bartels is expecting that to keep up as they go into the regular season.
    Looking down his roster, Bartels said, while the first couple weeks of practice can be tough just because there is so much teaching and learning happening, this has been a group of very coachable players.
    “I have really enjoyed practices so far this season. The boys come ready to work and get better every single day and that makes for effective and efficient practices,” Bartels added.   

  “A basketball team is always a work in progress, but I feel like we will be ready to compete once Dec. 2 and 3 roll around. The players are excited and so am I,” Bartels said.
    The team’s main goal for this year is to improve as a basketball team every single day.
    “If we can be a little bit better today than we were yesterday, everything else will take care of itself,” Bartels said.
    “Obviously we are always trying to win the SPVA Title and our sub-district, which I think are very attainable goals if we make the commitment to improve as a team on a daily basis,” he added.