Lady Panthers lose twice

RANGELY I After going 3-0 in games the week prior, the Lady Panthers went the other direction last week.
Rangely lost a close one to Duchesne, Utah, 51-49, on Jan. 12 and then fell to state-ranked and league-favorite Paonia 56-43 last Friday.
Despite the two losses, which gave the Lady Panthers a 6-5 record on the season, coach Jimmie Mergleman said, “Overall, I thought we played well.”
In the non-league game against Duchesne, Mergleman said it was a “tough matchup.” The week before, Duchesne handily beat Altamont, Utah, a team the Lady Panthers have lost to twice this season.
“We were definitely outsized,” Mergleman said. “But we had a couple of opportunities at the end to tie it.”
Against Paonia, Rangely played well in the first and third quarters, and not so well in the second and fourth periods.
“I thought we played really good in spurts, not great in other spurts” Mergelman said. “I think we got a little frazzled when things didn’t go our way. We kind of panicked a little.”
Still, Mergleman figures the Lady Panthers, 1-1 in the league, will get another crack at Paonia.
“I know we’ll meet up with them again, and have a second chance, probably in the district tournament,” she said.
Another busy week is on hand for Rangely. The Lady Panthers traveled to Moffat County on Tuesday for a non-league game, then host North Park on Friday and travel to West Grand on Saturday for league games.