Meeker girls sweep past three foes to win tourney

MEEKER I After a loss at home to Olathe, the Meeker girls’ basketball team won three games and the title last weekend in Granby.
The Lady Cowboys lost to Olathe on Dec. 15, following the Cowboy Shootout.
“We didn’t have a good game and they played well,” head coach Hallie Blunt said of the contest against the 3A opponent.
Meeker then traveled to Granby for a three-day tournament, played in a round-robin format.
Love Christian was supposed to be Meeker’s first opponent in the tournament but withdrew because of illness, matching Meeker against Middle Park’s JV team in the first round, which the Lady Cowboys easily defeated 47-13.
Meeker played West Grand in the second round and although Meeker led most of the game, the Mustangs came back in the fourth quarter and made the contest close at the end.
“We were up by eight at the end of the third quarter, then a couple of turnovers and it ends up a close game,” Blunt said of the 42-41 victory. “These girls have no quit in them, they have confidence in themselves to win. It may not always be pretty, they just get it done.”
Stacey Fitzgibbons, who was named to the all-tournament team, scored 28 points against the Mustangs and Ellissa McLaughlin played the entire game.
“Stacey just dominated and Ellissa played 32 minutes without a break; she just keeps working,” Blunt said.
Meeker’s final game was against host Middle Park, which had also beat West Grand. According to Blunt, the Lady Cowboys played “good team ball,” in the final game.
“We had seven kids score and were up by 20 at times,” Blunt said.
“What I was most proud of was having an official, another coach and an administrator all comment to me how well our kids represented themselves,” Blunt said. “That was great to hear. It was a fun environment and nice tournament before Christmas to help build our confidence.”