RHS Panthers split weekend games with Hayden, Soroco

RANGELY I The Rangely High School boys’ basketball team split league games last week and will host another Saturday.
The Panthers defeated Hayden, 45-36, in front of a home crowd, but lost 50-43 in Oak Creek to the South Routt County (Soroco) Rams. The Panthers will host Vail Christian on Saturday.
“Friday against Hayden, we played pretty well but were kind of up and down all night,” head coach Eric Hejl said. “We got in a lot of foul trouble, so it was difficult for us to really get in the flow of the game. Connor (Phelan) started off hot but then had to sit with two fouls, and that was kind of the theme of the night.”
The Panthers led 14-9 after the first quarter and 25-17 at halftime. Rangely held the Rams to three points in the third quarter but were outscored by one in the final period.
“For the most part, we did a good job of playing defense and rebounding with Cameron (Enterline) leading the way; but things like missed free throws and unforced turnovers allowed them to keep it a game until late in the fourth quarter,” Hejl said. “It was a win we had to get and we did. That’s what matters in the end.”
All the Panthers scored against the Tigers with Phelan leading the team with nine while Kaulan Brady and Mitchell Webber each added eight. Enterline and Morton each scored six, Colt Allred finished with four while Kelton Elam and Layne Mecham each added a basket.
“On the road on Saturday, I knew we would have to play better than we did on Friday if we expected to win; for the first half we did,” Hejl said. “After we got through the first quarter and got our rhythm, Cameron got a momentum-boosting breakaway dunk and we were able to get our lead as high as 15 at one point before halftime.”
The Panthers took a 10-9 lead into the second quarter, where they held the Rams to four and added 15 to their score.
“I knew Soroco was a dangerous second-half team and we talked about it in the locker room. But early in the second half, they started to slowly gain momentum and we just kept missing open shot after open shot,” he said. “Eventually, they were able to overtake the lead and we had too little, too late in terms of a comeback.”
Morton led the Panthers with 10, Allred scored nine, Enterline eight, Brady seven, Phelan added six and Webber finished with three.
“Defensively we played hard and for the most part played pretty well,” Hejl said. “But when you shoot as poorly as we did from the foul line, the field and especially from three-point range, it’s gonna be really hard to win games.
“This week in practice, there will definitely be an emphasis on shooting and shot selection,” he said.
The Panthers host Vail Christian on Saturday.