MEEKER | Meeker High School’s boys basketball team hosted the Plateau Valley Cowboys last Thursday evening, suffering a tough 50-39 loss. The defeat marked the Cowboys’ fifth consecutive loss.
Head coach Klark Kindler discussed his team’s defensive struggles.
“We did some good things. They are talented and we had a hard time guarding the paint,” Kindler said.
Despite the loss, several players stood out on the court. Senior Alex Garcia finished 5 for 9, scoring 13 points and grabbing seven rebounds. Sophomore Cade Mills contributed eight points and ten rebounds. Kindler identified size as one of the key challenges his team faced.
“Their size bothered us,” Kindler noted.
Meeker struggled to contain senior Jack Vig, who posted a double-double with 18 points and 15 rebounds. Sophomore London Mitchell also contributed, tallying eight points and three steals for Plateau Valley.
We are still improving. We need to shoot better and we are still looking for a complete four-quarter game,” Kindler said, reflecting on areas for improvement.
The loss dropped Meeker’s record to 3-13 on the season.
The following day, the Meeker Cowboys hosted the Gunnison Cowboys. After the fourth quarter ended in a tie, the game went into overtime, where the score remained knotted. In the second overtime, Meeker emerged victorious, winning 56-52 in the sixth quarter.
Kindler explained how his team managed to stay composed in the tense final moments.
“We’ve been in a lot of close games this year, so we are used to the intensity of being in a close game,” Kindler said.
Mills had a standout performance, posting a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, setting a new career high for the sophomore.
Senior Drew Drake also posted a double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. The Cowboys finished the game with 19 offensive rebounds, the most the team has had in a game this season.
Kindler praised his team’s ability to handle fatigue and pressure during the double-overtime game.
“We’ve been close in a lot of our losses and it was nice to get over the hump that night. The kids deserved this,” Kindler said.
The victory improved Meeker’s record to 4-13 on the season and 3-5 in league play, placing them fifth in the standings.
Meeker will host the Roaring Fork Rams on Tuesday. Roaring Fork enters the game at 13-5, 8-0 in league play, sitting in first place. The two teams faced off earlier this season, with Roaring Fork winning 66-37 in January.
Kindler reflected on what his team learned from the earlier matchup and what they need to improve.
“We were right there going into the 4th quarter and then had our bad quarter that we seem to have, and they got away from us. We are trying to complete the four solid quarters for a game and will continue to strive to do that,” Kindler said.
Later this week, Meeker will host the Cedaredge Bruins on Friday night, with Junior Varsity at 4 p.m. and Varsity at 7 p.m.
