Lady Cowboys defend WREA Shootout title

MEEKER I Meeker High School’s girls’ basketball team kicked off their season with a bang, winning the WREA Cowboy Shootout by defeating Little Snake River, Soroco and Nucla over the weekend.
It was an outstanding team effort, with the home team outscoring their opponents 162-93. All nine girls on the varsity team scored and four players scored more than 25 points on the weekend.
The aggressive defense and transition scoring got the lady Cowboys off to a great start in the first game as they took a 27-13 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Coach Greg Chintala said, “We took care of the ball and had low turnovers for the weekend.”
Meeker extended the lead in the second half against Baggs’ Little Snake River, winning the game 52-27. The team was led by senior Taylor Neilson with 19 points, followed by Sydney Hughes and Aly Ridings with eight, Megan Parker with six, Piper Haney with five, and Deana Norell, Shelby Burke and Taylor Morris with two each.
The second game started in much the same way against league opponent Soroco, with Meeker leading 30-15 at intermission. However, Neilson was hit in the eye so hard it nearly swelled shut by half, and Sydney Hughes got in foul trouble.

The two leaders’ absence was certainly noticed as the tempo slowed and the Rams made a third quarter run for the lead.
Chintala said, “The girls stepped up and gave good important minutes when we needed them.” The team kept its composure and had crucial baskets from Megan Parker, Deana Norell, Aly Ridings and a huge game from Piper Haney with 19 points. She was a machine under the basket for Meeker.
With the consistency of the senior leaders and Hughes’ return to the game, the pace changed immediately. Meeker took control of the game and finished nearly 20 points ahead, 56-38.
Behind Haney’s 19 points was Ridings with 12, Hughes had 11 and Neilson had six in just one half of play. Parker and Norell each added four. The game against Nucla was only close for the first eight minutes before Sydney Hughes once again sparked the team, scoring 10 of the team’s 20 points in the second quarter. Taylor Neilson added eight in the quarter with two three-pointers.
The third quarter found a new leader, as a steady Deana Norell scored eight in the eight minutes and finished with 10.
The lady Cowboys finished the game 54-28.“(The girls) are not afraid to come in and work hard,” Chintala said.
That hard work paid off as did the toughness of senior Taylor Neilson, who came back from her injury to score eight points in the game and a total of 33 points for the weekend. She also captured the Most Valuable Player award for the tournament.
Also named to the All-Tournament team was senior Aly Ridings, who had 28 points on in three games and Sydney Hughes, who scored 37 points and was in double figures in steals.
The team had an exciting first weekend of basketball, proving they have several scoring options, tremendous defense and leadership, a combination that left the team with a 3-0 record.