Lady Cowboys end regular season with two wins

MEEKER — The Meeker girls basketball team finished the regular season on a winning note and earned a home game in the quarterfinals of the district tournament.
Meeker defeated Rangely last Friday and South Routt County (Soroco) last Saturday, earning them a home game against the Panthers in the first round of the district tournament, this Saturday, starting at 1 p.m.
“I was really excited with how the girls played last weekend,” head coach Hallie Blunt said. “They got their flow back, just playing the game and having fun.”
Meeker beat Rangely 62-43 and pounded the Rams from Soroco 65-38.
Meeker led 15-13 after the first period against Rangely. Meeker senior Kiandra Ross and junior Marki Cook each scored five in the first quarter, as did Rangely’s Roszilyn Thacker. Meeker started to pull away in the second quarter, doubling the lady Panthers eight points, six coming from Cowboy senior Amanda Bain.
“The pace was were we wanted it,” Blunt said and her team continued it in the third quarter, outscoring Rangely 20-13. Marki Cook scored seven of her game leading 20 points in the third quarter. Meeker juniors Sydney Cook and Janae Kindall each added six in the third quarter, giving the lady Cowboys a 51-34 lead going into the final quarter.
Erin Watson led the lady Panthers with 16 points, junior Hillary Hayes scored 14, Thacker finished with five, while Audrey Hogan and Patricia Phelan each added four.
Kindall finished with 13 for the lady Cowboys, Sydney Cook nine, Ross and Bain each finished with eight, while Rodebaugh finished with two.
Meeker kept the flow going Saturday in Oak Creek, thumping a team that beat them just two weeks prior. “The girls played good ball again Saturday,” Blunt said. “They were having fun and it didn’t look like they did two weeks before.”
Meeker jumped out to a 22-5 lead after the first quarter, led by seven from Bain. Kindall scored six in the second quarter to help extend the lead to 37-11 at halftime. The Rams matched Meeker’s 16 points in the third quarter and one less than Meeker’s 12 in the final quarter.
“Everybody got to play and everyone scored,” Blunt said.
Bain and Kindall each scored 12, Rodebaugh, Kelsey Kendall and Marki Cook added six each, Sydney Cook, Ross, Stacey Fitzgibbons and Megan Ridings all added four each and Rachael Smith added a three-pointer in the fourth. Meg Nieslanik and Kelsey Rundberg each added two.
The two games also ended the season for freshman and junior varsity teams.
“Lori (Chintala) and Jamie (Rogers) did a great job with the girls,” Blunt said. “They came out and beat Rangely and then killed Soroco. They had a good season.”
Meeker will now play Rangely in the quarterfinals of the district tournament.
“This will be a great opportunity again for these girls,” Blunt said of the rematch. “We had a great crowd Friday, hopefully they come out again Saturday.”