Lady Cowboys split league games

MEEKER | The Meeker girls basketball team lost on the road to top seeded Paonia but pounded DeBeque during senior night in Meeker last Saturday. The lady Cowboys will play their final game of the regular season in Oak Creek Friday and host a District quarterfinal game next Wednesday, Feb. 22.
Meeker lost to the No. 1 ranked (according to Coloradopreps.com), Paonia Eagles 44-72, then beat the DeBeque Dragons 76-23 on Meeker’s home court.
Meeker trailed Paonia 6-13 after the first quarter and only scored three in the second period, while giving up 21 to trail by 25 at half. Meeker scored 15 in the third quarter, three less than the Eagles, and matched Paonia’s 20 points in the fourth.
“The girls came out strong and ready to play against Paonia,” Meeker head coach Jamie Rogers said. “We stayed close through the first four minutes and then we made mistakes on both ends of the court and Paonia ran away. In the second half, we stayed right with Paonia but we couldn’t make up any ground.”
Meeker senior Maggie Phelan hit four three-pointers to lead the lady Cowboys with 21 points, she pulled down five rebounds and had five steals. Senior classmate Reese Pertile scored nine, while sophomore Megan Shelton added seven, had four steals and both pulled down eight rebounds. Junior Sierra Williams scored five and finished with three steals and Tilly Brown added a basket.
“Maggie again was a strong leader who helped keep our team battling to the end,” coach Rogers said of the high-scoring senior.
The lady Cowboys feature five seniors: Phelan, Pertile, Halle Ahrens, Peyton Burke and Anna Walsh, who were all honored before the game and all contributed to the win.
“DeBeque was a fun night for our seniors’ last regular season home game,” coach Rogers said. “Anna Walsh had a great night with eight points, 10 rebounds and five steals.”
Pertile scored 18 points and pulled down 19 rebounds, while Burke scored nine, Phelan added seven and Ahrens scored four. Shelton led Meeker with 21 points, Julia Dinwiddie scored seven and Gracie Bradfield added a basket.
Coach Rogers said her team could end up as the second or third seed in the district tournament “depending on the Soroco game.”
The district tournament will be held in DeBeque.