RANGELY | The Rangely Panthers hosted the Grand Valley Cardinals last Tuesday and showed much improvement. The Rangely boys came out slow in the first quarter, being outscored eight to 12, as they tried to find their traction. In the second quarter the Panthers found their rhythm, especially at the freethrow line, scoring 14 of 20 points at the charity stripe. The boys continued to play neck and neck in the second half with Grand Valley but the Cardinal guards caught fire and helped defeat the Panthers 53-47.
Senior Travis Coombs goes up for a shot while junior Keihlin Myers looks on. | MATT SCOGGINS PHOTO
“Our young guards showed much improvement—I was very impressed with their toughness against Grand Valley,” said coach Kyle Boydstun.
Gabe Polley led the Panthers with 16 points including a 3-pointer, followed by Keihlin Myers with nine points. Defensively, Travis Coates led the team with 11 rebounds, closely followed by Sydney Cole and Keihlin Myers with seven.
On Friday our Panthers headed to North Park for their first league and season victory. Rangely came out fast in the first half, initially having trouble finishing at the basket, but outscoring the Wildcats 24-15. Out of halftime the boys overcame their troubles at the basket as the guards fed the posts and then pushed the pace on fast breaks. Rangely’s fast start in the third quarter culminated in a 59-29 victory.
As a result of the Panthers great teamwork, Cole led the Panthers with 17 points and Myers followed with 10 points and five assists. Cole and Myers also led the Panthers in the defensive end along with Polley and Kevin Wren: Cole ripped down 15 boards, Myers had 14 deflections, Gabe Polley brought down eight rebounds and Wren had three steals.
The Panthers look forward to a busy schedule from Feb. 15-20 as Winterfest activities will take place throughout the week. They end the school week by traveling to Manila, Utah, on Thursday. The Manila Mustangs are ranked in the top five in Utah Class 1A basketball. The weekend will find the Panthers facing off against league rival Vail Christian on Friday with Winterfest ceremonies taking place at halftime of the boys game. On Saturday, another league game takes place as the Panthers host the Vail Mountain Gore Rangers.
Special to the Herald Times
