RANGELY I The Rangely High School Panther boys’ basketball team played two league games last week, pounding the Plateau Valley Cowboys 44-21 in Meeker then losing to Cedaredge, 38-46, on the road.
“We played very good defense against Plateau Valley and we were able to hit some open shots to give us some confidence to finish the game,” first-year head coach Jeremy Cantrell said.
Rangely jumped out to an 11-2 lead after the first quarter and tripled their opponent’s score in the second to lead 22-7 at halftime.
Rangely only scored seven in the third quarter but held the Cowboys to three, extending their lead to 29-10 at the end of the third quarter.
The Cowboys got into double figures in the fourth quarter, scoring 11, but the Panthers added 15 in the final quarter to put the game away.
Against Cedaredge, the Panthers played right with the Bruins in the first half, tying the score at 8-8 after the first quarter. Both teams had 15 on the scoreboard at halftime.
Rangely scored 12 in the third quarter, but it fell behind by three at the end of the quarter and they were outscored 16-11 in the final eight minutes.
“Cedaredge was a learning experience for us on the road,” Coach Cantrell said. “We worked really hard to get the lead and didn’t maintain focus to finish the game. I was proud of our effort and preparation heading into the game.”
The Panthers will travel to Paonia on Friday to play the Eagles in their only action of the week.
“I have been pleased with the development of our underclassmen, and they need to stay committed to improvement for our team to take shape,” Cantrell said. “To this point, it hasn’t been a problem, as they have displayed a willingness to learn.”