Kyle Mills / Post Independent
Rifle Girls 34, Coal Ridge Girls 27
The Rifle and Coal Ridge girls opened Saturday’s basketball action at the annual Brenda Patch Tournament in Carbondale with a 2 p.m. matinee start, and it was the Bears of Rifle who managed to come out on top, recording a 34-27 victory in a contest that was close throughout.
Rifle, coming off a 50-40 loss to Roaring Fork on Friday night, got a key scoring stretch from sophomore Jamie Caron midway through the third period to turn a one point deficit into a 27-24 lead. It was a 3-pointer by Caron and a hard, driving layup that gave the Bears the breathing room that proved to be the difference in the game.
“Jamie is a tough player and she is very stubborn. She works her tail off at all times and she really came up big for us during that stretch of the game,” said second year Rifle head coach Eric Caro.
Coal Ridge, playing with junior center Taylor Wiescamp on the bench for most of the second half due to foul trouble, made a final push at Rifle with 1:04 showing on the clock when freshman Jackie Camunez hit a 3-pointer from the top of the free throw circle to trim Rifle’s lead to 29-27, but clutch free throws from senior Delaney Phillips down the stretch iced the game for the Bears.
Caron led Rifle (1-1) in scoring with 19 points. Camunez topped the Titans (1-1) scoring ledger with 11 points.
Denver Lutheran Boys 88, Coal Ridge Boys 37
The state’s top-ranked 3A team, the Denver Lutheran Lights raced out to a 27-3 lead in the first quarter behind the inside play of 6-foot 11-inch center Baye Fall, and an array of outside 3-point marksmanship to post an 88-37 win over the Coal Ridge Titans in late afternoon play Saturday at the Brenda Patch Tourney.
Fall, a talented freshman, grabbed rebounds, swatted inside Titan shots, and threw down big league dunks as the Light’s lead swelled to 34-3 midway through the second period.
“A game like this one really helps us with practice now,” said veteran Coal Ridge mentor Paul Harvey. “Hopefully now they will do all the little things we ask of them. But congratulations to Lutheran, they’re a tough team.”
Featuring what must be one of the tallest and most talented lineups in the state of Colorado, regardless of classification, the Lights took a 58-17 lead at intermission and were never seriously threatened in the second half of play. With Fall on the bench during a long stretch of the third period, the Titans hit on some inside scores to keep the quarter at a manageable 18-10 deficit.
The scoring column listed Fall with 28 points to lead Lutheran. Guard Tommy Apodaca chipped in with 12 points for the Lights. Senior Austin Gerber led the Titans with 10 points.
Roaring Fork Girls 52, Steamboat Springs Girls 34
Trailing 17-11 early in the second period of play, the Roaring Fork girls overcame a lethargic start to stay unbeaten with a 52-34 win over Steamboat Springs.
The Rams got a much needed spark in the second quarter following a timeout by Roaring Fork coach Juan Quintero. A pair of juniors, Lily Nieslanik and Maya Lindgren came to the rescue for Roaring Fork as Nieslanik took over on the inside with several timely scores, and Lindgren strung together three outside shots-one a 3-pointer-to turn the tide and give the home team a 26-18 lead at the half. A lead Roaring Fork would never relinquish.
“We just told the kids to relax at that timeout,” Quintero said. “We changed defenses and started getting some better shots. It feels good to be undefeated. I’m super proud of these kids.”
Roaring Fork (2-0) was led in scoring by junior Letey Crownhart, who caught fire in the second half to score 13 points, including three 3-pointers. Lindgren added 10 points, with Nieslanik hitting for 8 points and senior Caroline Wisroth scoring 7 points.
DSST/Byers Boys 58, Roaring Fork Boys 16.
The final game on Saturday night in Carbondale saw the Roaring Fork boys fall to the Denver School of Science and Technology/Byers by a score of 58-16.
After a good opening night showing against Denver Lutheran on Friday, the Rams ran out of gas against another top ten ranked 3A team in DSST/Byers.
“We played well last night and really competed,” said Roaring Fork coach Tony Gross. “Tonight we didn’t play well on either end of the floor and their pressure defense had us tied in knots.”
A pair of juniors, Tristan Maker and Graham Pietsch led the Rams in scoring with 7 and 5 points respectively. Roaring Fork (0-2) will hit the road next week for a game against the Vanguard School in Colorado Springs, followed by a trip to Loveland for the Resurrection Christian Tournament.
