It was a rare weekend for Cowboy basketball. The girls and boys faced off against Western Slope opponents in totally different towns, and the outcome was the same. Both teams put up big, and nearly identical, numbers while shutting down the competition.
The girls, with a 3-1 record, are just one win ahead of the boys after snowy roads forced a game cancelation last weekend in the boys’ Cowboy shootout.
Friday night the lady Cowboys hosted the Aspen Skiers for their first league game of the season. Aspen is only in the girls’ league and not the boys’ since the transition of basketball up to 3A.
As effective on defense as it is on offense, the team is executing both sides of the ball and dramatically improved upon last year’s start, in part due to the fact the majority of the starting lineup has returned.
Rebounding big off the boards Rylee Sullivan led in every rebound category for a total of 10, six of which came from the defense. Ainsley Selle was right there with seven rebounds and Addie Knowles had six.
The aggressive play of Sullivan and Selle shined through in their points put up, with each breaking double digits but just shy of the leader Ellie Hossack. Hossack added 17 points to the 61-20 victory plus five steals and an amazing 67% shot accuracy.
The girls now prepare for one more game before Christmas break when Rangely comes to town on Thursday.
Meanwhile the boys hit the road to Vail Christian for a non-league opponent game.
Jonathan Fitzgibbon’s was the most impactful, adding exactly 33% of points to the 62 to 33 win. With added contributions by Jace Mobley and Ryan Sullivan who each scored 12, Ethan Quinn with eight, Jacob Simonsen with six and Drew Drake added three.
Fitzgibbons and Mobley each had nine rebounds to lead the team and Simonsen added another six. The big numbers would have continued but the lead meant they were able to let up and ask for contributions from the entire team.
As a team they were able to hold Vail Christian to just seven points in the first half which allowed some of the younger players to come off the bench and see some varsity action.
Now both teams host Rangely on Thursday, with JV starting at 4:30 p.m.
Editor’s Note: photos of the boys’ basketball game was not available by press time.
Above, Ellie Hossack, Rylee Sullivan, Taylor Garcia and Charlie Rogers-defense. AMBER GARCIA photos
