Player of Week

Carlie Sweet, a 5-11 Central Lakes College forward from Brainerd, was named Northern Division Player of the Week in the Minnesota College Athletic Conference for the week ending Feb. 9. Carlie tallied a double-double for the Raiders (9-12 overall, 8-2 in the Division) in a win over Hibbing. She scored 15 points and grabbed 13 rebounds while shooting 50%. She also had 3 assists and 3 steals. Carlie was also a two-year volleyball standout for CLC.

Raiders defeat Hibbing

In Northern Division basketball from the Minnesota College Athletic Conference Sat., Feb. 9, Central Lakes College defeated Hibbing  in the Brainerd campus gymnasium. The CLC women won, 81-67, and the Raider men triumphed, 80-56, to avenge their 54-53 loss at Hibbing Jan. 12. The scoring leaders for the women were Carlie Sweet had 15 points, Lindsay Monson 17 and Jalynn Lamb 22 (shown). Top scorers for the men: Andre Thomas with 18, Kevin Kuefler 15, Brandon Davis 14, and Bryan Gichaba 10. CLC led by 33-31 at the half before outscoring the Cardinals by 18 in the last half. The men, winning their sixth straight, moved their Division record to 8-2 and overall mark to 15-7. The Raider women, after getting a win by forfeit vs. Fond du Lac Feb. 6, are now 9-12 overall and 8-2 in the Division. They have won eight of their last nine games. Next: CLC at Itasca (Grand Rapids), Wed., Feb. 13, women at 6, men at 8.

Men win 14th

The Central Lakes College men's basketball team broke loose from a two-point halftime lead to escape Fond du Lac, 75-62, in Northern Division play Wednesday, Feb. 6 at Cloquet. Bryan Gichaba (shown) scored a team-high 17 and snared eight rebounds to lead the Raiders to their fifth straight win and a 14-7 record (7-2 in Division). A nice run with about five minutes left lifted CLC, which committed just 10 turnovers to 22 by the Thunder. The Raiders also cashed in at the line, making 18 of 28 free throws, while FDL managed 6 of 10. Brandon Davis added 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Benji Subah had 10 points and five assists. CLC is in second place in the Division. Next: Hibbing at CLC, Sat., Feb. 9, women at 1, men at 3.

Player of Week

Andre Thomas, a 5-foot, 8-inch Central Lakes College play-maker from Chicago, is the Northern Division Co-Player of the Week in the Minnesota College Athletic Conference for the week ending Feb. 2. Andre averaged 17 ppg, 5 rpg, 4.5 apg and 3.5 spg for the 2nd place Raiders while shooting 60% from the field and 50% beyond the arc. Andre is fifth in Division shooting from beyond the arc, making 39% of his shots for the season (35 of 90). He shared the recognition with Bacarius Dinkins of Mesabi Range, a three-time honoree this season. Dinkins leads the Division in scoring with a 20.3 average.

Raiders win

The Central Lakes College women's basketball team on Sat., Feb. 2 avenged an earlier loss to Rainy River by winning, 63-56, in the Brainerd gym. Lindsay Monson finished with 19 points, while Ashley Arneson provided outside punch with 12 points. Jalynn Lamb (shown) scored 10 points as the Raiders won for the sixth time in seven games and upped their Northern Division record to 6-2 in the Minnesota College Athletic Conference. Lindsay also collected eight rebounds and just two personal fouls in 32 minutes of play. With the win the Raiders and Rainy River are tied for second place in division play with six games remaining. Division: 6-2. All: 7-12. Next: CLC at Fond du Lac 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Men win

The Raider men waltzed past the Voyageurs, 50-56. They led, 42-30 at the half and shot 49% for the game (34-69) while holding Rainy to 32%. Scoring leaders were Andre Thomas (16, plus four assists), Tyler Flugum (12), Kevin Kuefler (11), and Bryan Gichaba (11). The Raider bench outscored the visitors, 36-7, with 10 players scoring for CLC. Brent Koehler came off the bench to score four points and snare five rebounds in 10 minutes. Division: 6-2. All: 13-7. Next: CLC at Fond du Lac 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Men win third straight

The Central Lakes College men's basketball team on Wed., Jan. 30 won its third straight game, 71-59, at Northland (Thief River Falls) to move the season record to 11-7 (5-2 in Northern Division). The CLC women bowed to the Division-leading Northland team, which is nationally ranked, 73-44, to end a five-game win streak. Andre Thomas led the Raider men with 18 points, while Kevin Kuefler added 10. CLC shot 51% from the field (31-60) and 33% from beyond the arc (5-15), building a 37-25 halftime lead. In the women's contest, CLC trailed at the half, 36-25, behind the hot-shooting Pioneers, who are ranked sixth in the latest NJCAA Division III poll. Taalyr Egeness and Lindsay Monson tallied 14 points each for the Raiders, who made 16 of 54 (30%) from the field and 3 of 9 beyond the arc. The CLC women are now 5-2 in the Division and 6-12 overall. Next: Rainy River at CLC, Sat., Feb. 2.

Player of Week

Sierra Benning of Clarissa, a 5-4 sophomore guard for Central lakes College's women's basketball team, has been named Northern Division Player of the Week in the latest report from the Minnesota College Athletic Conference. Her effort in the week that ended Jan. 26 earned her the honor. She averaged 14 points and 10 assists while leading the Raiders (5-1 in the Division) to a pair of wins. Sierra added sic steals and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting 50 percent from the field. She is a transfer from North Dakota State College of Science, where she played last season. She is the daughter of Ray and Margo Benning, publishers of the Independent News-Herald newspaper of the Clarissa.