MEEKER | The Meeker High School boys basketball team wrapped up its season with two consecutive wins, including a 60-56 road victory over De Beque last week.
The last time these teams met, Meeker secured a 44-29 win on Feb. 11, 2022. This time, the result was the same, as the Cowboys edged the Dragons in a closely contested battle.
Head coach Klark Kindler said he has seen steady improvement from his team throughout the season.
“We improved as a team and overall just got better as a group,” Kindler said. “The kids kept working hard and playing hard, and that made it enjoyable.”
Meeker had strong performances on both ends of the court. Senior Tyler Sanders led the Cowboys with 18 points and six rebounds. Throughout the season, Sanders’ scoring proved to be a key factor for the Cowboys—when he scored 15 or more points, the team held a 4-2 record. When he didn’t, Meeker was 3-13.
Sanders credited his success to finding open looks from beyond the arc.
“In the first game, it was really working for me to just post up at the three-point line and spot-up shoot because of how dominant our post players were in the paint,” Sanders said.
Sophomore Said Rodriguez also had a standout night, finishing just one rebound shy of a triple-double. He recorded 10 points, nine rebounds, and 13 assists. However, he said he wasn’t aware of how close he was to achieving the milestone.
“I was not aware at all of how close I was during the game,” Rodriguez said. “The game was too close, and I wasn’t focused on my stats at all.”
Rodriguez said his focus was on the defensive end.
“My mindset going into the game was to focus hard on defense on their two best players,” he said. “I try my best in every game that I play, so I just let my hard work get the stats for me.”
Meeker’s defense did its job, limiting De Beque’s key scorers. Junior Burke Largent led the Dragons with a double-double, scoring 24 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, accounting for 42.9% of the team’s total points. The Cowboys also contained sophomore Kriz Guerra, who managed just one field goal.
“We did a good job of making things tough on their two scorers,” Kindler said.
The win snapped Meeker’s four-game road losing streak and improved its record to 7-15 on the season.
The following day, Meeker returned home for its final game of the season against Vail Christian. The last time the teams met, the Cowboys earned a 62-33 victory.
Vail Christian entered the matchup ranked No. 30 in Class 2A, sitting on the bubble for a playoff spot. Meeker, ranked No. 45, was looking to play spoiler—and did just that with a dominant 65-40 win.
Kindler credited the team’s ability to adjust between Friday and Saturday’s games.
“I think it is easier to travel on Friday and play at home on Saturday, so our recovery time was better,” Kindler said. “Vail had to travel both days, so that helped us wear them down.”
Meeker had strong contributions from its senior leaders in their final high school game. Senior Drew Drake shot 88% from the field, finishing with 18 points and seven rebounds. The Cowboys held a 4-1 record when Drake scored more than 15 points but were 4-14 when he didn’t.
Sanders also had another strong performance that afternoon for the Cowboys, scoring 16 points and adding three steals.
“I was really focusing on trying to get to the rim and push the floor, which worked well,” Sanders said.
With the win, Meeker closed the season on a three-game home winning streak, outscoring opponents by an average of 25.7 points per game. The Cowboys finished the 2024-25 season with an 8-15 record.
Kindler, who now just completed his 27th year at the helm for the Meeker Cowboys, reflected on the challenges and growth throughout the season.
“It was an up-and-down season,” he said. “We got off to a slow start, having to overcome injuries, and we played a very difficult schedule to start the season—probably the most difficult since I’ve been here. Once we figured out some roles for our players, we had some success.”
Looking ahead, he said the younger players gained valuable experience this season and will focus on improving their shooting over the summer.
“We got a lot of experience,” Kindler said. “We will work hard this summer and hopefully improve our shooting.”
Congratulations to the Meeker High School boys basketball team on their 2024-25 season.
