Basketball is off to an excellent start for the Rangely High School lady Panthers. The 2023/2024 team returns its eight top scorers from last season, where it placed seventh in the Colorado 2A girls’ basketball state tournament. Seniors Ryann Mergelman (10.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3 steals and 3.2 assists per game); Annika Cantrell (9.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1 assist and 1.4 steals per game); Kastyn Dembowski (1.8 points, 3 rebounds and 1 steal per game); and Emma Smith (.6 points, 1.1 rebounds and .5 steals per game). Juniors Miah Wren (9.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals per game); Ashlynn Ducey (7.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals per game); Miley Chism (2.6 points, 4 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game); and Emerree Wagner (2.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, and .7 assists per game) all return and will be looking to make a more significant impact as juniors. Sophomores Addison Scott, Aubrey Kenney, TyLee Fielder and Aubriana Tapia will also look to take huge steps at the varsity level.
The girls will tip the season off in Manila, Utah, at the Manila Holiday Classic. The Manila Mustangs finished in sixth place last year in Utah’s 1A class. The Panthers will also take on the American Heritage Patriots, who qualified for the Utah 2A state basketball tournament in the 2022/2023 season. Head coach Jimmie Mergelman feels optimistic about continuing the Panthers’ sustained success in the Manila Holiday Classic. Still, she also knows the two games this year will not be a walk in the park. “The two first games for the Panthers will be a great start to the season to test the lady Panthers and where they stand at this part of the season.”
The girls will return to Rangely the following weekend to host their tournament, the Western Slope Winter Classic. The Lady Panthers will play the Nucla Mustangs and the North Park Wildcats in their pool play. Tournament results will depend on the seeding from pool play the day before. After the Western Slope Holiday Classic, the girls will travel to Yuma, Colorado, to play in the Yuma Holiday Classic against the Yuma Indians. The game played between the Sterling Tigers and the Limon Badgers will determine the Panthers’ next opponent. When asked about the demanding pre-season schedule the Panthers face, Mergleman believes, “It is best for the program as its goal is to reach the endpoint in Loveland at the state tournament and compete for a state title.” The lady Panthers, under Mergelman’s second tenure as head coach, have qualified for the Colorado 2A state title two times, in 2018 and 2023, won the Western Slope League title outright once in 2023, shared it with Meeker and Soroco in 2018, and claimed two regional championships.
