MEEKER I The Meeker Cowboys boys’ basketball team advanced their record to 7-4 with two wins over the past week. Tuesday, Meeker defeated cross-county rivals, the Rangely Panthers, 62-42. Friday night the Cowboys traveled to Vail to take on the Vail Mountain Gore Rangers, the distance may have been greater but the results were the same, as the ‘Pokes prevailed with a sound 62-32 victory.
Tuesday night at home against county rival Rangely, Meeker started out fast. Trey Morris put the Cowboys on the board with their first possession when he connected long-range for a quick 3-point lead. Morris led the Cowboys in the first period with eight points, teammate Ryan Wix added five more to counter the 6-point effort by Rangely’s Templeton and five more from Denny.
At the end of the first period Meeker held a 17-11 lead. In the second period, Meeker’s defense held the visiting Panthers to only three points. Wix again led his team with four more in the quarter assisted by Jake Nieslanik’s four points.
Meeker put up a comfortable margin with a 16-point second quarter to lead at halftime 33-14. Morris and Wix were again the scorers for the Cowboys with five points apiece for the third quarter.
Meanwhile Templeton was trying to get his Panthers back into the game with six points of his own. Meeker and Rangely traded scoring in the fourth but the lead of the Cowboys was too much for the Panthers to overcome. Meeker posted a convincing 62-42 victory.
Traveling to Vail for their first game against Vail Mountain, the Cowboys started out sluggish. Meeker scored seven points in the first quarter as Nieslanik and Morris counted for four and three points, respectively.
Meanwhile, Halguin of the Gore Rangers gave his team confidence with 10 points of his own to gather a 12-7 lead for the Rangers at the end of the first. The Cowboys started to find their rhythm as Morris heated up for seven to pace Meeker’s 14-point second period. The Cowboys’ defense overtook the lead of their hosts to gain a 21-18 halftime advantage.
Enter Ryan Wix. Wix went on a torrid scoring binge as he paced the ‘Pokes with a barrage of points, 17 of them, to lead Meeker’s 24-point third quarter and a 45-26 lead to start the fourth stanza. Meeker spread the wealth evenly in the fourth period as six players scored for the Cowboys, while the defense held Vail to only 6. The result, a 62-32 Cowboy win.
For the week in the two games, Morris led the Cowboys with 20 and 15-point efforts, while Wix contributed 16 and 15 to lead the Cowboy scoring.
Meeker 17 16 10 19 – 62
Rangely 11 3 11 17 – 42
Meeker –
Morris 5,3,3,1,20 – Mobley 1,0,3,2,4 – Smith 2,0,0,0,4 – Nieslanik 2,0,4,1,5 – Steiner 3,0,2,1,7 – Boesch 0,1,4,3,6 – Wix 7,0,5,2,16
Rangely –
K.Denny 0,0,2,0,0 – Byerly 0,0,3,1,1 – Phelan 1,0,0,0,2 – Enterline 0,1,0,0,3 – Kacey Denny 5,1,1,1,14 – Fortunato 0,0,2,1,1 – Templeton 8,0,6,5,21
•••
Meeker 7 14 24 17 – 62
Vail Mtn. 12 6 8 6 – 32
Meeker –
Morris 4,2,2,1,15 – Mobley 1,0,0,0,2 – Smith 3,0,2,1,7 – Nieslanik 3,0,3,1,7 – Steiner 0,1,6,3,6 – Walsh 1,0,0,0,2 – Boesch 0,1,0,0,3 – Eli1,0,2,1,3 – Wix 8,0,1,1,17
Vail Mtn.
Wright 0,0,2,1,1 – Barbour 2,0,1,0,4 – Wirth 1,0,0,0,2 – Saalfeld 1,0,1,0,2 – Sterett 0,0,3,1,1 – McKeever 1,0,0,0,2 – Halguin 9,0,6,2,20
