Trojans battle hard but fall short at Lamar

LAMAR, Colo. — The Colby Community College men’s basketball team faced its first road test of the season Tuesday night, dropping a 93-84 decision to Lamar Community College Lopes in a physical, high-fouling contest that challenged the Trojans’ early-season rhythm.

Head Coach Jarrod Stanford said the game was a learning opportunity that showed both the team’s toughness and areas still to polish.

“It was a really hard-fought game,” Stanford said. “Both teams shot close to 40 free throws. The thing that got us honestly was the fact that they just had too many offensive rebounds. We weren’t able to keep them off the offensive glass, and we just didn’t shoot as well as we normally do.”

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After opening the season with a 100-62 home win over Sterling College JV, Colby entered Tuesday averaging better than 40 percent shooting from three-point range. That touch, however, cooled in Lamar, where the Trojans hit just 22 percent from behind the arc despite several open looks.

“Those are shots we’ve made consistently so far this season,” Stanford said. “We had a lot of wide-open looks that just didn’t fall.”

The Trojans carried a slim 46-44 lead into halftime, but the Lopes turned up their effort on the boards and at the line over the final 20 minutes. Both teams endured foul trouble, as officials whistled a steady pace that slowed the tempo and favored Lamar’s second-chance efforts.

Stanford noted that improving rebounding and defensive discipline are now top priorities as the Trojans prepare for their next stretch.

“It’s two games in a row where our opponents have shot too many free throws,” he said. “We’ve got to guard the basketball without fouling, and we’ve got to keep teams off the offensive glass. Those are two things we’re really focusing on moving forward.”

Even in defeat, Colby met two of its internal team goals—recording 15 assists and maintaining offensive balance—but fell short of others that often signal a win in their system.

“We try to get at least seven ‘kills,’ which means three stops in a row,” Stanford explained. “We only had five instead of seven. That’s the difference in the game right there. If we get the two extra kills, we probably also get to 100 points, which then turns out to be a win.”

The Trojans will look to regroup quickly with a short turnaround, hosting Kansas Wesleyan JV on November 6.

“We just have to keep our confidence,” Stanford said. “We’ve got to stay together as a group and not let one game affect us. It’s about continuing to focus on the process and clean up our details so we can go on the road and win in tough environments.”