CHADRON – This will be a big weekend for the Chadron State College basketball teams as the Eagles host New Mexico Highlands and Western New Mexico Friday and Saturday. The women's games begin at 5:30 p.m. and the men's games follow at 7:30.
 
Both head coaches, Tim Connealy for the women and Brent Bargen for the men, said their players are excited playing in front of their fellow students.
 
The Chadron State men are riding high after an 82-81 buzzer-beating win over Black Hills State last Thursday in Spearfish. With the win, the Eagles improved to 6-7 overall and 3-6 in the conference. Five players are averaging at least eight points, led by senior Zac Bargen at 12.4.
 
The Eagle women are currently 1-12. Their lone win came in the conference against Colorado Mines (68-59) in mid-December but the Eagles have been close to victories since then, including two tight games against Fort Lewis and Adams State. Three players are averaging in double figures and Kayli Rageth at 16.3 points and Kattie Ranta at 15.6 points are among the conference's best scorers.
 
The New Mexico women's teams have nearly identical records. Both are 4-6 in the conference while the Highlands women are 7-6 and the Western New Mexico women are 7-8.
 
Both of this week's RMAC Women's Players of the Week are from those teams.
 
Highlands' China Smith, a 6-foot-1 post player, is the Offense Player of the Week after she led the Cowgirls to a sweep of Fort Lewis (74-63) and Adams State (82-60) last weekend.
 
Smith finished the two games with 27 points, 24 rebounds, seven assists and five blocked shots. She made 14 of 18 field goal attempts in the two tilts and for the season is shooting 46 percent from the field and averaging 11.1 points and 10.6 rebounds.
 
Another top scorer for Highlands is Jenny Johnson, a 5-10 guard who is averaging 11.1 points is has made 17 of 42 3-pointers. Connealy also ranks the Cowgirls' Alyssa Lopez, a 5-8 senior, as one of the top point guards in the RMAC. She's averaging 9.5 points and has made 14 of 36 shots from behind the arc.
 
The Defensive Player of the Week honor went to Western's Nalani Hernandez, a 5-9 junior guard. She was six of nine while scoring a team-best 12 points against Adams State, even though the Grizzlies won 52-45, and then had 11 points and 11 rebounds during a 71-68 win over Fort Lewis. For the two games, Hernandez shot 61 percent and had 23 points, 17 rebounds, six steals and five blocks.
 
The Lady Mustangs' leading scorer for the season is RaTanya Newsome, a 5-5 junior who is averaging 13.6 points. Close behind is Ashley Mitchell, a 5-10 junior who is averaging 12.3 points and has hit 37.5 percent (27-72) of her 3-point tries.
 
The Highlands men are 5-5 in the RMAC and 8-6 for the season. Their top gun is Mannie Cass, a 6-7 senior who is shooting 54.4 percent from the field while averaging 15.6 points. He was named the RMAC Male Athlete of the Month for December, when he averaged 24.2 points in six games. The output included 35 points against Colorado Christian and 41 against Western State, both during double overtime victories.
 
Cass is one of the conference's leading free throw shooters after making 80 of 96 attempts for 83.3 percent. He's also blocked 20 shots. He scored 24 points against the Eagles in Las Vegas last year, when the Cowboys squeezed out an 89-86 victory.
 
Last weekend, Cass scored just eight points during an 82-69 loss to Fort Lewis but netted 21  during a 90-87 win over Adams State.
 
The Western New Mexico men are struggling. They are 1-12 for the season and 1-9 in the conference. Their only win is an 81-52 decision over Western State.
 
Last weekend while playing at home, Western lost to Adams State 100-73 and to Fort Lewis 88-64, despite 27 points in the second game by the team's leading scorer, 6-8 senior Brelan Berry, who is averaging 12.4 points for the season.
 
Close behind Berry is 6-7 junior Marcos Castrillo, who is averaging 12 points and 6.3 rebounds.