Cowboys split league games

MEEKER |The Meeker boys’ basketball team split league games last week and with a win in Oak Creek, in the final game of the regular season Friday, the Cowboys will enter the District tournament as the No. 2 seed. The Cowboys lost 38-46 to the league-leading Eagles in Paonia last Friday, then pounded the DeBeque Dragons 80-29 on their home court.
The Cowboys currently have a 12-6 overall record and they are 9-2 in league play, with their final league game against the Soroco Rams in Oak Creek this Friday.
The Cowboys trailed 5-14 at the end of the first quarter in Paonia and although they allowed the Eagles to just score eight in the second quarter, Meeker could only add a free throw to the scoreboard, to trail 6-22 at halftime.
The Cowboys outscored the Eagles in the second half but were never able to overcome the first half deficit.
“We couldn’t buy a basket in the first half at Paonia and we had way too many turnovers,” Meeker head coach Klark Kindler said. “We settled down and played well in the second half. We cut their lead down to two with six minutes to go and kept battling.”
Meeker outscored the Eagles 14-7 in the third quarter and 18-17 in the fourth but finished with 24 turnovers.
“We had to foul at the end and they made their free throws,” Coach Kindler said.
Zach Dinwiddie led the Cowboys with a double-double, scoring 13 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Logan Hughes scored six, Trapper Merrifield had five, while Doak Mantle and Eli Newman both scored four points each. Kale Burke and Valentine Rosas each made a three-point shot.
Everyone got in the scorebook against the Dragons, led by Burke, Hughes and Newman all finishing with 10 points. Burke hit three from behind the three-point arch. Stephen Walsh scored nine, Mantle finished with eight, Dinwiddie had seven, Merrifield five, Andy Kracht four, Cole Rogers and Jerrick Garza each scored three.
Coach Kindler said if the Cowboys win in Oak Creek, they will be the No. 2 seed and host a District quarterfinal game Wednesday, Feb. 22.