MEEKER | The Meeker Cowboys hosted the Roaring Fork Rams last week at Meeker High School, seeking redemption after a 66-37 loss to the Rams in January. However, the Cowboys were unable to secure the win, falling 61-46.
Despite the loss, several Cowboys had strong performances. Senior Drew Drake went 6-for-8 from the field, finishing with 17 points and six rebounds. Senior Tyler Sanders added 12 points and three steals.
Meeker pulled down 12 offensive rebounds, marking the fourth consecutive game with at least 11 offensive boards. Head coach Klark Kindler emphasized the team’s effort, despite the outcome.
“We still competed and played hard; we just dug too big a hole to dig out of,” Kindler said.
The Cowboys struggled to contain Roaring Fork’s senior Lucas Carballeira, who recorded 17 points, five assists, and three steals. Junior Kiko Pena also contributed 12 points and nine rebounds.
With the loss, Meeker dropped to 4-14 on the season, having lost six of its last seven games. Kindler acknowledged the Rams’ defensive effectiveness.
“Their zone was good, and it was hard to penetrate,” he said.
On Friday night, the Cowboys returned to the win column with a dominant 68-42 victory over the Cedaredge Bruins—their largest home win against Cedaredge since Dec. 8, 2017.
Sanders led the team with a career-high 19 points, shooting 7-for-17 from the field. He credited his success to smart shot selection and his teammates’ ability to create scoring opportunities.
“I had a lot of success shooting the three when I could get my feet set, so the goal was just to get open and set my feet,” Sanders said. “My teammates created so many good looks for me by scoring inside and attacking the paint, opening up shots from the arc.”
Drake also had a productive night, scoring 16 points on 7-for-14 shooting while grabbing five rebounds.
Kindler highlighted a key moment that helped seal the win.
“We had a big run coming out after halftime,” he said. “We went on an 11-0 run, and then things snowballed from there.”
Meeker finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds. Earlier this season, the team averaged 7.9 offensive boards per game, but in their last 15 games, they have increased that to 13.2 per game.
With the win, the Cowboys improved to 5-14 overall. Meeker will host the Olathe Pirates on Friday night, aiming to complete the season sweep after winning their last matchup 59-57 on the road.
“We are playing much better, and we have to do a better job of guarding their second and third options in the offense,” Kindler said.
The following day, the Cowboys will travel to face the North Fork Miners, who previously defeated Meeker 58-41.
“We need to rebound much better,” Kindler said. “We gave up way too many second-chance points.”
Meeker enters Friday’s game with a 5-14 record, including a 4-6 mark in league play, sitting in fourth place.
