Looking to head into winter break on a high note, the Grand Valley Cardinals’ boys basketball team came up short in its home opener Saturday afternoon in Parachute, dropping a 64-51 decision to the visiting Eagle Valley Devils in non-league play.
Grand Valley came out of the half trailing 30-28, but the wheels fell off a bit for the Cardinals, who played the night before, as Grand Valley mustered just 6 third-quarter points while Eagle Valley put up 19, pulling away for the eventual 13-point win in ‘The Nest.’
The Cardinals saw junior guard Alex Cornejo lead the way for Grand Valley, scoring a game-High 14 points in the loss, while senior center Indra Griggs and senior guard Wade Weiss added 13 points each.
Eagle Valley was led by Tony Hernandez and Carlos Quezada, who scored 14 points each, while Jacob Medina added 13 points.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Coal Ridge 85, Vail Christian 58
Taking on the Vail Christian Saints Saturday in the final game before winter break, the Coal Ridge Titans shook off the Saints midway through the third quarter, pulling away for good in the 27-point win.
The win sends the Titans into the break at a perfect 9-0.
“We feel fortunate to be undefeated heading into the break,” said Paul Harvey, Coal Ridge’s head coach. “But we know that we still have a lot of work to do, and that the big games are still to come.”
Against Vail Christian, senior guard Jan Hernandez led the Titans with a game-high 18 points, while seniors Payton White and Kevin DiMarco added 15 and 14 points, respectively. . Senior Jesus Camunez chipped in with 12 points in the win.
For Vail Christian, Tommy O’Neil and Jameson Lee scored 18 points each in the loss.
Glenwood Springs 64, Littleton 57
A 40-point second half Saturday on the final day of the Longmont Tournament carried the Glenwood Springs Demons boys basketball team to a 64-57 win over Littleton.
Glenwood scored 19 in the third and 21 in the fourth, outscoring Littleton 40-32 in the second half.
For the Demons, senior guard Angel Garcia led the way with 15 points, senior Wyatt Ewer and junior Mitchell Burt added 13 and 11 points, respectively. Senior Luke Gair added 10 points.
Roaring Fork 45, Pagosa Springs 44
The Roaring Fork Rams boys basketball team picked up an important win Saturday over Pagosa Springs 45-44 on the final day of the Black Canyon Classic.
Against the Pirates of Pagosa Springs, senior guard Oscar Miranda went off in the final game before holiday break, scoring a season-high 19 points for the Rams, hitting three 3-pointers in the one-point win. Along with Miranda, senior Leo Loya added 10 points for Roaring Fork, while sophomore Graham Pietch added 6 points on two 3-pointers.
For Pagosa Springs, Mitch Lewis led the Pirates with 15 points.
Rifle 70, Moffat County 44
Hosting the Moffat County Bulldogs Saturday evening inside Jack Smith Gymnasium in the first home game of the season, the Rifle Bears boys basketball team rolled to a 70-44 win in the final game before holiday break.
Junior guard Trey Lujan had a big night for the Bears, scoring a game-high 18 points, while senior guard Omar Chavez added 16 points for the Bears, who scored 19 points in the first and third quarters to run away for the win.
Senior Joel Lopez added 9 points, while senior Christian Trevizo added 8 points in the win.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Berthoud 57, Glenwood Springs 41
On the road for the final day of the Longmont Tournament, the Glenwood Springs Demons girls basketball team dropped a 57-41 decision to the Berthoud Spartans in the final game before holiday break.
In the loss to the Spartans, the short-handed Demons were led by a season-high 16 points from senior Emily Worline, who five 3-pointers in the loss. Along with Worline, senior guard Ashley Barragan added 7 points, while senior guard Ximena Gutierrez added 6 points.
Roaring Fork 43, Woodland Park 41
Wrapping up the Black Canyon Classic Saturday morning in Montrose, the Roaring Fork Rams girls basketball team bounced back from a tough Friday night loss to Montrose by defeating the Woodland Park Panthers, 43-41.
Senior center Gaby Santana and junior forward Caroline Wisroth led the Rams with 10 points each in the win over the Panthers, senior guard Logan Erickson and junior guard Emily Broadhurst added 8 and 6 points, respectively.
Roaring Fork will play in the Wolf Creek Tournament at Pagosa Springs next weekend in some holiday basketball action Friday and Saturday.
Grand Valley 54, Eagle Valley 16
Hosting the Eagle Valley Devils Saturday in Parachute, the Grand Valley Cardinals girls basketball team entered the holiday break in style, rolling to a 54-16 win over the visiting Devils behind 22 points from senior guard Shaya Chenoweth.
Chenoweth scored 9 points in the first, 7 points in the second, and 6 points in the third before sitting in the fourth quarter as Grand Valley cruised to the win.
Along with Chenoweth’s 22 points, junior guard Jordyn Pittman added 7 points, while junior forward Loghan Teter added 9 points for the Cardinals.
Coal Ridge 39, Vail Christian 17
One night after scoring a career-high 27 points in a win over Paonia, Coal Ridge sophomore center Taylor Wiescamp scored 14 points Saturday against the visiting Vail Christian Saints in a 39-17 win for the Titans.
The Saints packed the paint against Wiescamp, forcing the Titans to get some scoring from the perimeter. Senior guard Adrianna Varges came through with 9 points, while senior guard Alyssa Wenzel added 5 points.
“They really packed the paint against us after the first quarter,” said Clyde Morgan, Coal Ridge’s head coach. “We tried to pull them out by swinging it around the perimeter, but they didn’t want to come out.”
For Vail Christian,Sarah Heredia led the way with 7 points.