MEEKER I After a 30-point loss in Wyoming on Friday, the Meeker High School girls’ basketball team found their “competitive edge” and beat Plateau Valley in Collbran on Saturday.
Meeker High School will be the site of two more league games this weekend, when Paonia comes to town on Friday and Cedaredge on Saturday.
Meeker traveled to Baggs, Wyo., on Friday and lost 51-21 before coming back with a 63-53 win in Collbran.
“Baggs is a good squad, but we did not play with a competitive edge,” head coach Greg Chintala said of the game against the Little Snake Rattlers. “The 50/50 balls were theirs. We had a discussion after the game, and Saturday the 50/50 balls were ours.”
Meeker only scored three points in the first quarter and five in the second against the Rattlers to trail by 14 at halftime and by 23 going into the final quarter.
Freshman Megan Shelton led the team with eight points, juniors Maggie Phelan and Halle Ahrens each added four, senior Jenna Walsh scored three and sophomore Sierra Williams made a basket against the Rattlers.
Shelton recorded eight rebounds, Phelan had seven and Anna Walsh pulled down five in Baggs.
Against the Plateau Valley Cowboys, Meeker almost scored as many points (20) in the first quarter as they did the entire game on Friday night.
“We were tracking down loose balls and playing like crazy,” coach Chintala said. “When the starters would get tired, we would put in five more. Our defense was all over the place.”
Meeker led 20-14 after the first quarter, but the game was tied at halftime. Meeker took a six-point lead into the final quarter, when they outscored Plateau Valley 17-13 in the fourth period to win the game 63-53.
Shelton led all scorers with 34 points, including hitting four from behind the three-point arc. Phelan scored nine, Ahrens added eight, Krissie Luce had six, Jenna Walsh had four while Gracie Bradfield and Kassie Luce each made a free throw.
Phelan pulled down 11 rebounds, Shelton had 10 and Ahren had nine.
“We are trying to convince them they can be good,” coach Chintala said.
