Past stories
Subscribe to our NewsletterGame review: Utah State Eastern (56th) d Central Wyoming (155th)
The game began at 9.30am, Adelaide time as the Rustlers took on the Eagles at Rock Springs, Wyoming. 3-time WCB Best and Fairest Daniel Smith surprisingly started the game on the bench, a strategic move that backfired as the Rustlers struggled to score until he entered the game and steadied the ship. From there, it was an intense USE defence against a CW offence that seemed sheepish and certainly turnover prone but even after a slow start, it was just 4 points difference at the half. The second half though saw the Eagles open up a fast break game and that ultimately proved the difference, opening the margin out to 15 points before the Rustlers made their run, led by our two favourite Aussies and bringing it back to 4 points with minutes to go. A trio of dunks from USE closed the game out and the Rustlers went home with a disappointing loss but with plenty to work on. Final score Utah State Eastern 68 (Ike Palmer 17, Seven Bahati 9, Kayin Turner 9) d Central Wyoming 58 (Isaac Patik 14, Daniel Smith 12, Hunter Trego 10). Central Wyoming move to 0-1 on the season ahead of tomorrow's match v Lamar Community College. Nervous times, nervous times.
Game review: Lamar Community College (157th) d Central Wyoming (155th)
It was billed as a battle of the 150-seeds and early on, it was your Central Wyoming Rustlers on top as they balanced a strong outside game with plenty of strong inside play. There were still the turnovers from the day prior but they looked more settled, led by the Thunder's Daniel Smith who was having a block party until it happened with 6:20 left in the first half. Click on the picture above for a short 10-second clip but we aware it's not for the faint of heart or weak of bowel. In a motion similar to the injury that saw Milwaukee's Andrew Bogut with a car crash-like elbow and arm injury, Daniel's arm was caught under his body and whilst he briefly returned to the action, he sat the second half and it showed as Lamar put on a clinic. Lamar finished with 63 second half points to take the W by 20 points (stats coming). For the Rustlers, it's not panic stations but we're all hoping/praying that Daniel isn't seriously hurt or things will get interesting fast. Another two games await next week on Wednesday and Saturday but that can wait. For now, our thoughts and prayers are with the Rustlers' big man, praying for a swift recovery and return to the court. Final score Lamar 96 (Ahmed Cisse 21, RJ Foreman 17, Christian Payawal 15) d Central Wyoming 75 (Luke Danielson 19, Julian Ormond 15, Tyler Jette 11).
Game preview: Gateway v Futures Warriors
On the back of a two-game losing streak, the Thunder are in trouble. With five players - coincidentally all Smiths - missing the last two weeks, they find themselves at risk of falling down the ladder. Then this happens. We receive a fax from our bothan spies saying "He's back!". We have no idea who's back and where they've been, but assumedly one of the Smiths is set to make his return and that can only be a good thing. The Warriors meanwhile have enjoyed a great first season in A Grade and will give the Thunder plenty oto think about tonight. Two teams enter, one team leave. With no further adieu, we present to you Gateway v Futures Warriors.
LAST FIVE GAMES HEAD-TO-HEAD
These teams have never played each other.
LADDER
1 (1). Gateway Thunder 11-2, 35pts, +206
6 (6). Futures Warriors 5-1-5, 22pts, +1
OUR PREDICTION
Is it enough? With five Smiths sidelined, is one enough to turn around a two-game losing streak and right the ship with only weeks remaining in the season? Futures present a balanced attack with plenty of inside play to match their strong outside play. Mark our words that these cats can play and the Thunder will need to be on their game. Get there early for a good seat at the earlier time of 8.25pm, a rare occasion when Gateway doesn't play the last game. Our tip? Gateway by 8 points because they really need this one. Let's hope so. Nervous times, nervous times.
Game review: Gateway d Futures Warriors
It may be a one-off or it may be a return to our regular scheduled program - only time will tell - but that was better. Much better. With forward Jon.Smith back in uniform, the Thunder began with a 28-0 run, an opening not seen since a 35-0 start in the mid-1990s but we digress. The combination of Jon.Smith and B.Sleep alongside four Jultopia veterans saw things begin to click again as the Thunder begin their long climb back up the mountain after two straight losses. An even spread of scorers proved too much for Futures Warriors who after a cold start, found their shooting rhythm and made a game of it but the damage had been done. Final score Gateway 115 (T.Sleep 27, McKinnon 25, Jon.Smith 24, Vucetic 22, Penn 14, B.Sleep 3) d Futures Warriors 47. 3 more games to the finals and still time to right this ship and last night was a step forward in the right direction. Positive signs, positive signs.
WCB Round 15 ladder
Each Wednesday we'll publish the WCB A Grade Men premiership ladder here because well ..... just because. OK, it's because we're getting older by the minute and can't work out the app but fortunately we do know how websites work. Next stop is to give away our Puma Lufts and tape cassettes and start wearing Nike Air Force Ones and using CDs but we're not sure either will take off. We shall see. With no further adieu, here's the full A Grade Men premiership ladder. Enjoy.
Note the ladder has been updated to remove results from games played against teams that ended up in a different grade. Final seedings will be on Win% with the Top 4 through to the A Men finals, and 5-8 through to the B Men finals.
1 (1). Gateway Thunder 12-2, 38pts, +274
2 (2). CFC Stars 11-2, 35pts, +199
3 (3). Air Journey 9-1-3, 32pts, +79
4 (4). Supernova Sigmas 6-1-3, 23pts, -42
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
5 (5). Futures Pioneers 7-7, 27pts, -9
6 (6). Futures Warriors 5-1-6, 23pts, -67
7 (7). North Western Mustangs 5-1-8, 25pts, -24
8 (8). Gateway Tsunami 3-11, 20pts, -159
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
9 (9). CFC Warriors 2-10, 16pts, -130
10 (10). CFC Sasquatches 1-10, 13pts, -122
Massey Ratings drop Central Wyoming to 227th nationally
Welcome back to Massey Ratings Thursday and if you've come here for rankings, opinions and proving people wrong, you've come to the right place. The good folk at Massey Ratings published their preseason rankings and listed Central Wyoming at 155th overall, then lifted them to 131st, returned them back to 155th, and now dropped them to 227th. A 0-3 start will do that to you and with Thunder forward Daniel Smith missing yesterday's game (more on that later), the Rustlers need to rebound more than Port Adelaide under Josh Carr. Watch this space because things are about to get interesting. Buckle up, folks. Central Wyoming's rankings are now as follows, by category:
CENTRAL WYOMING RANKINGS (from now to last season)
Overall: 227th-155th-131st-155th-175th
Power: 182nd-n/a-134th-159th-182nd
Offence: 308th-n/a-169th-285th-358th
Defence: 88th-n/a-75th-81st-45th
SoS: 190th
SSF: 89th-n/a-83rd-89th-64th
Like we said, we have no idea what most of these things mean but you can bet your bottom dollar we'll be tracking their progress at https://masseyratings.com/cb/njcaa/ratings - come back each Thursday because Thursday is Massey Ratings day. Go Rustlers. Good times, good times.
FCA's Friday Fellowship: level path
Ready: “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me on level ground.” - Psalm 149:10
Set: One year, I convinced my friends to participate in a trail race in our city. It was a normal 5k, but instead of taking place on a track or road, the course was mapped out through the woods in a local park. None of us had done a trail race before, and our naive minds didn’t see much difference between a regular road race and a trail run. Quickly into the start of the race, we noticed that this run would be very different. There were hills and valleys, dirt, mud and water. Roots that trip you up, rocks that you must run through, and the ground is anything but level. Not two minutes into the race, I had already wiped out and quickly lost confidence. I only wanted to race on level ground without any of these pitfalls. The level ground I longed for would have allowed me to run the race confidently and quickly with my head held high. Instead, I was trying to navigate pitfall after pitfall, running with my head down, not trying to thrive but simply survive. Life here on earth is a trail race, with highs and lows, unseen obstacles, and obstacles that seem to trip you up and keep you looking down. Today’s Psalm acknowledges that the level ground is the one we should seek. Left to our own choices and desires, we often end up on the bumpy, rough trail but if we seek God and learn His Will, His spirit can lead us to much more level ground. The level ground is still a race, with hard work needing to be done to continue running well. It won’t be easy, but it will be better running the level race with the Spirit. (Definitely better than stumbling through the trail on your own.) With the Spirit, we can confidently stride forward, knowing we are headed in the right direction. We can draw from the strength and power that the Holy Spirit offers us when we draw near. Seek the Holy Spirit today and run your race with confidence that no matter what the race puts in your path, you have a guide that will see you to the finish line.
Go: Examine your life right now. Are you running on the trail or seeking level ground? How does drawing near to God give us access to the power of the Holy Spirit? What is one ‘pitfall’ in life that keeps tripping you up?
Workout:
Overtime:
Heavenly Father, teach us to seek You. Guide us to Your Word and help us wake up each day seeking You and Your Spirit. If we are on the trail, I pray that You give us clarity and strength to look up and seek freedom in You. O God, pick us up when we fall and lead us back to You. Amen.
Game review: Salt Lake (13th) d Central Wyoming (222nd)
At a much more reasonable time of 11.30am, Adelaide time - thank you, Daniel - the Rustlers took on the much much much higher-ranked Salt Lake Bruins, home of international volleyballer Cameron Zajer who is the daughter of Thunder veteran Andrew Zajer. Yes folks, the Thunder links get crazier by the day and if you don't believe us, read the header of our website. NBL, NCAA, NJCAA, Paralympics, Olympics, NBA, volleyball, rugby, AFL, 60 Minutes, Covid and the NFL. Crazy but true yet we digress. With Jultopia veteran Daniel Smith sidelined due to what we suspect is an injury based on the video from the Lamar game - a reminder that all our info comes from the public domain - the Rustlers showed up but couldn't get the W and fall to 0-3 on the season ahead of their first home game today. Final score Salt Lake 83 (Muhammad Jobe 21, Danny Young Jr 19, Daye Kaba 13) d Central Wyoming 60 (Julian Ormond 15, Jordan Peel 13, Isaac Patik 10). Come back soon Daniel or at least give us some information that's publicly sourced. Today's game v Rocky Mountain is again scheduled for 11.30am, Adelaide time. Go Rustlers! Anxious times, anxious times.
Game review: Central Wyoming (222nd) d Rocky Mountain (unranked)
With Coach Pat Rafferty suspended due to a pair of techs v Salt Lake, Thunder forward Daniel Smith sidelined due to an ongoing wrist injury and guard Hunter Trego to miss 2 months with a meniscus injury, an undermanned Central Wyoming took on the unranked Rocky Mountain (NAIA) and it was over early as the Rustlers went 24-2 against the Battlin' Bears, punctuated by an Isaac Patik dunk that resembled Tom Chambers over Mark Jackson. Connor Davidson looked like a modern day Ray Borner on the boards and whilst it wasn't convincing late, the Rustlers had done enough to get the W that will see them rise up the Massey Ratings but with plenty of work still to do. Shoutout to the Peel, Smith and Trego families on the YouTubes and surely we get Smith's Thunder teammates on the YouTube at some point this season. We're looking forward to it. Final score Central Wyoming 81 (Isaac Patik 20, Connor Davidson 18, Julian Ormond 12) d Rocky Mountain 61 (Mason Mier 15, Aidan Tilzey 14, Stefan Radic 9) to move the Rustlers to 1-3 on the season. Better times, better times.
Game preview: Gateway v CFC Sasquatches
A win fixes everything and after two straight losses, the Thunder bounced back with a big win last week and now find themselves up against the 10th-placed Sasquatches. With four players set to miss again, the Thunder may never have a full team ever again. The Sasquatches meanwhile have played well in their first season in A Grade and won't back down. This should be a fun one. Two teams enter, one team leave. With no further adieu, we present to you Gateway v CFC Sasquatches.
LAST FIVE GAMES HEAD-TO-HEAD
These teams have never played each other.
LADDER
1 (1). Gateway Thunder 12-2, 38pts, +274
10 (10). CFC Sasquatches 1-10, 13pts, -122
OUR PREDICTION
Who doesn't love a gif of a sasquatch playing the saxophone? Give us more of it and if that's what happens when new teams join A Grade, bring all the teams up. The Thunder looked better last week as they try to recover from a rough fortnight, whilst the Sasquatches could find the going tough if Brodie Sleep and Jonty Smith find their rhythm. Get there early for a good seat because this could be a whole lot of fun. Our tip? Thunder by 18 points. Let's hope so. Exciting times, exciting times.
