MHS boys headed into two big games

MEEKER I The Meeker High School boys’ basketball team has two big games coming up. Finding a way to win both would be crucial to their standings going into the district tournament in two weeks.
Currently Meeker is tied for second place with Vail Christian and Rangely with Paonia and Hotchkiss trailing by just a game. The league is so close that every game is critical. Two wins over Hotchkiss Friday night at home and against Paonia in Paonia would give the Cowboys a little breathing room as they prepare for post-season play.
Last weekend’s games served as great learning tools for the approaching tournament. Meeker hosted Vail Christian Friday night and expected a tough game.
“We came out flat and never really got on track,” said head coach Klark Kindler. “We did a good job at the end of the half and going into the third quarter.”
The game was extremely close throughout but the tempo was in Vail’s favor. Meeker outscored their opponents in both the third and fourth quarters, forcing the game to come down to the last seconds with both teams playing great defense. Meeker had the ball down three and in the final minute gained important experience for pressure situations in the future.
Raul Lopez, Jeremy Musgrave, and Scott Smith led the way for the Meeker scoring 14,11 and 8 points respectively. The Cowboys fell 42-46 Friday night but rallied to play exceptional defense Saturday holding Vail Mountain to 16 points in the entire game, only three points by halftime.
“We did a good job of challenging shots and not giving them any open looks,” Kindler said.
They not only played great defense, they scored 60 points of their own. Meeker had three kids in double figures Saturday: Nate Walsh and Dylon Mobley with 12 and Raul Lopez with 10.