Update: The online story was changed to reflect that seven Lancers were ejected. It was originally reported that nine were ejected. The Telegram apologizes for the inaccurate report.

LA JUNTA, Colo. – An on-court altercation between Eastern Wyoming College and Otero Junior College on Saturday in La Junta caused ejections on both sides, including seven Lancers that were removed.

The Lancers had five remaining players eligible to play and after one of the five fouled out, EWC finished the game with four players in the 92-72 loss to the Rattlers.

“It’s just an unfortunate situation,” coach Neal Sherbeyn said but would not comment any further because the situation is being investigated by the NJCAA. According to the NJCAA website, “The NJCAA National Office will not comment or release details of any investigation related to violation(s) of Association bylaws involving a student-athlete or member college.”

The game started as a back-and-forth affair, but a run by the Rattlers late in the first half gave the home team a 42-31 lead at the break.

“It’s not that they don’t try and snap out of it,” Sherbeyn said of the runs the Lancers allow. “It’s just one or two guys trying to snap out of it and our team goes out the window.”

In the second half, EWC put up 41 points, while allowing Otero to put up 50 to get to the 92-72 decision.

Jonathan Morrobel and Brandon Meadows paced the Lancers with 18 points each, spending 32 minutes apiece on the floor. Meadows was 6-of-11 from the field and 6-of-11 from the charity stripe, while Morrobel shot 7-of-15 from the floor, including 4-of-7 from behind the arc. The pair also had seven boards apiece, while Meadows had four assists and a block to his credit.

Walker Korell joined Meadows and Morrobel in double-figures, chipping in 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting, which he paired with two boards and an assist. Nick Holmes was the final Lancer to put up 10 points. Holmes rounded out his stat line with four boards, an assist and a block.

Alek Cosic rounded out the starters for EWC, contributing four points, five rebounds and two blocks.

“We just get in a funk to hit shots and we are looking for a spark. We are struggling to find that right now,” Sherbeyn said. “We have a lot of guys who can really contribute, but we are still looking for that big spark.”

Coming off the bench, Jordan Mirich, Chad Hinrichs and Daniel Wright combined for eight points, two rebounds and five assists. Rhythm Ajanku and Ty Larson also came off the bench and combined for two rebounds and two assists.

Lamar 83, EWC 61

On the road Friday, the Lancers allowed Lamar Community College to hit a big run in the first half, giving EWC a 42-24 deficit by intermission. In the second half, the Lancers upped their scoring output to 37 points, while keeping the Lopes to 41 in the frame, giving Lamar the 83-61 win.

“We play 30 minutes of the game and the other 10 they take advantage of us,” Sherbeyn said. “They gain access on us and go up 10-20 and then we play them even for the rest of the game.”

Meadows was again the top scorer for EWC with 14 points, along with eight rebounds and a block. Morrobel chipped in 11 points and completed the double-double with 10 rebounds, a steal and three blocks. Like Morrobel, Korell added 11 points, including six from behind the arc. He also had three boards in the loss.

Fellow starters Holmes and Cosic combined for 11 points, six rebounds and a steal.

Mirich led the reserves off the bench with eight points, including four from the free-throw line. He also had a rebound and a steal. Ajanku and Weight combined for seven points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal, while Hinrichs kicked in two boards.

With the loss, the Lancers dropped to 1-16 on the season with an 0-6 record in the conference. They look to snag a conference win this weekend when they host McCook Community College on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and North Platte Community College on Saturday at 4 p.m.

“We are going to continue to work in practice,” Sherbeyn said. “The great thing about this team is they haven’t lost their focus. I guarantee these guys are going to come to work.”