MEEKER I The Meeker Cowboys “really stepped up this weekend,” head coach Klark Kindler said of his team.
The Cowboys played without a key starter and came away with two huge league wins. The wins secured a first-round bye in the district tournament, which gives them a short break to prepare and get the team healthy for the post season.
Kindler said, “Our kids understood their roles and filled them nicely.”
One example of stepping up and absolutely leading a team to victory was the amazing 37-point performance by Jeremy Musgrave against Paonia.
The game began close with Meeker up 16-14 after eight minutes. Paonia made a run and took a four-point lead by halftime. However, Meeker had another outstanding third quarter, outscoring the Eagles 20-13. Meeker finished the game up nine, at 61-52.
Dylan Mobley also had a big game, scoring 17 points and several rebounds for the Cowboys. Ty Dunham added four and Joe Newman had two points to go with his solid rebounding, and Kash Atwood added a point and important minutes of play.
Meeker had an extremely close game against Hotchkiss as well, but in this game it was Dunham’s play that was crucial to the win. Dunham had 13 points and consistent play on both ends of the floor. Musgrave led all scorers with 19, Mobley had nine and Newman added two.
Meeker was down by one after the first period and got colder in the second quarter, leaving the Cowboys trailing 27-19 at half. However, the players showed they have gained great composure and confidence, putting together a big third quarter, outscoring the bulldogs 13-7. Meeker played smart basketball in the final eight minutes and came away with the slim 43-42 win.
The Cowboys will take their momentum and solid play into the semifinals of the district tournament on Feb. 28.