Sophomore Ashlynn Ducey (14) is averaging seven points and five rebounds per game this season. The RHS lady Panthers are undefeated in the league. MATT SCOGGINS PHOTOS
RANGELY | Sitting on the top of the 2A Western Slope girls’ basketball league are Rangely’s lady Panthers. The girls showed two more strong outings last weekend with a pair of wins against Caprock Academy and DeBeque.
In the first game, a non-league matchup against the Caprock Eagles, the Panthers were met with a fierce and determined Eagles squad. However, the Panthers closed out the first quarter with a 10-7 advantage. Leading in scoring for the quarter was junior Annika Cantrell with four points. Sophomore Lexi LeBleu was next with three points, Emmeree Wagner with two, and junior Ryann Mergelman with one point.
The Panthers settled in offensively in the second quarter and scored a season-best 25 points. Mergelman went into a scoring frenzy in the paint, and the Eagles did not have an answer for her as she scored nine points. Also jumping in on the scoring fest was Cantrell with eight points. sophomore Miah Wren added a three-point shot for the quarter. Also scoring three points was sophomore Jade Miller. Sophomore Ashlynn Ducey added two and junior Kastyn Dembowski added one point. The Panthers only gave up five points to the Eagles and closed the first half 35-12.
Mergelman and Ducey continued to pace the Panthers. Ducey’s six points came on the original three-point play with a converted score on a foul with a successful free throw. Ducey converted both opportunities in the quarter.
Wren also added a three-point play to give her six points in the game. Sophomore Miley Chism, LeBleu and Wagner scored two points each to give the Panthers a 40-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter. With that edge, the running clock mercy rule was in effect. The Panthers scored five points in the quarter, with Mergelman adding three more and sophomore Katelyn Cox adding two for a final score of 61-18, Panthers.
Mergelman led in scoring with 18 total points and 10 steals for her second double-double of the season. Cantrell added her fourth double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Ducey scored next with eight points, Wren with six, LeBleu with five, Wagner with four, Miller with three, Cox with two, and Dembowski with one point.
With the non-conference win, the Panthers improved their record to 11 wins and four losses.
The Panthers also moved up into the top 16 in the rantings percentage index (RPI), which is used for playoff seeding depending on how a team finishes with the regular season and districts.
DeBeque traveled to Rangely for a 2A Western Slope League match. The Panthers stood at the league’s top with five wins and zero losses. The DeBeque Dragons entered with five wins and two losses.
The Panthers scored 16 points to the Dragons’ 12 in the first quarter. Leading the scoring again was Mergelman with eight points. Wren was next in scoring as she made two free throws and a field goal for four points. Dembowski and Ducey also each scored a basket to round out the scoring.
The second quarter saw the Panthers get into a defensive groove that only allowed the Dragons to score four points. The Panthers scored 12 in the quarter to take a 28-16 lead into halftime. Wagner and Cantrell led the Lady Panthers with four points each, and Ducey scored two. Dembowski and LeBleu each scored one point to make up the Panthers’ 12 points in the half.
The third quarter was closer for the two teams as the Panthers won the third quarter with 12 points again compared to the 11 points from the Dragons.
Cantrell opened the scoring in the third quarter with six points and numerous rebounds on both offense and defense.
Mergelman added four points, and Ducey scored two to bring the Panthers to the end of the third quarter with the score 40-27.
The Panthers held the scoring advantage again in the fourth quarter as they put up 14 points to the Dragons’ 10. Cantrell led in scoring in the fourth quarter with six points. Dembowski and Mergelman both added four for the Panthers’ 14 points. Final score 54-27, Panthers win.
Leading the Panthers in scoring were Mergelman and Cantrell, who each scored 16 points. Cantrell scored her fifth straight double-double as she pulled 10 rebounds with 16 points. Next in scoring was Dembowski with seven points. Ducey scored six points, followed by Wagner and Wren, scoring four points, and LeBleu ended the game with one punch.
With the victory, the Panthers stayed atop the 2A Western Slope League with a perfect six wins and zero losses. The Panthers will close out their season in the next two weeks when they travel to Baggs, Wyoming, for a non-conference game against the Little Snake River Rattlers on Friday, Feb. 10. Then they will return home to host the Eagles from Caprock for the league match. The Eagles sit in ninth place with a one-and-six mark in league play. The following week will put the Panthers on the road again for their final regular season game against the Vail Christian Saints.
The Saints sit in eighth place in league with a current one-and-five mark in league games.
Special to the Herald Times
