Year in Review: SKC Bison and Lady Bison

PABLO — The Bison and Lady Bison continued to add to their

national resumes, both winning AIHEC basketball national

championships last season in Santa Fe, N.M.

PABLO — The Bison and Lady Bison continued to add to their national resumes, both winning AIHEC basketball national championships last season in Santa Fe, N.M.

The SKC women won with a decisive 72-57 win over Oglala Lakota College for their third championship in four years.

The Lady Bison had overcome a 3-7 start and coming into the tournament, they had won 20 consecutive games.

The SKC men worked to a 109-103 victory over Northwest Indian College for their fifth title in six years. In addition to the two team titles, two Oustanding Player Awards were taken home to Pablo. Carla McLean and Gus McDonald each garnered the honors after successful team tournaments.

Lady Bison head coach Juan Perez said McLean’s leadership and play on the court are two reasons she won the honor.

“She was always the go-to person down low for us,” he said. “Nine out of 10 times, she would score.”

McDonald joined the Bison after Christmas break and head coach Zachary Camel said he peaked at the right time.

“He’s a real good team player,” Camel said.

Both teams conditioning had paid off as they overcame the elevation of Santa Fe, which sat at 7,000 feet, more than double that of Pablo.

“We could tell we were higher,” Perez said. “It was tough for some to catch their breath. I wasn’t worried though, we were superior to the other team’s conditioning.”