Paonia ends season for lady Cowboys in double overtime

MEEKER — “They played so hard, the final score was not indicative of the game,” Meeker girls head basketball coach Hallie Blunt said of the district semifinal game her team played against the Eagles in Paonia last Friday. The Eagles ended the season for Meeker with a 70-55 victory. The Eagles defeated Plateau Valley 63-61 in the finals and will advance to the state-qualifying regional tournament this Saturday.
Meeker fell behind 8-18 after the first quarter but pulled to within five, ending the second quarter down 20-25 after Sydney Cook scored six points and junior classmate Marki Cook added four.
Both teams scored 11 points in the third quarter, with junior Janae Kindall making two baskets for Meeker, senior Amanda Bain added two points, as did the Cooks and Stacey Fitzgibbons added a free throw.
“The girls did exactly what the plan was to stop Paonia,” Blunt said.
The lady Cowboys began working back in the fourth quarter, where Meeker outscored the Eagles 15-9, including a basket in the final seconds by Bain, to tie the Eagles and send the game into overtime.
Both teams scored five points in the first overtime, with the Eagles scoring its five before Kindall made a basket to send the game into a second overtime.
Paonia scored first in the second overtime and hit a three-pointer to start a run Meeker could not match a third time.
“They were obviously disappointed,” Blunt said of her team’s emotions after the game. “But I was proud of their last game. They played well and we had a chance.”
Marki Cook led Meeker with 13 points, Bain and Sydney Cook each added 12. Kindall finished with nine, senior Jessica Rodebaugh added six and Fitzgibbons finished with three.
Blunt said she would miss seniors Bain, Rodebaugh, Kiandra Ross and Clare Balloga, whose season ended earlier with a knee injury but was excited about next year already.
“The seniors did a great job of staying positive all year,” Blunt said. “We have a huge junior class and good underclassmen, if they play a lot of summer ball, they’ll get ‘em next year.”