RANGELY I Rangely opened up league play by hosting Vail Christian last Friday. The Saints came out firing, hitting three 3-pointers in the first quarter. Vail Christian also frustrated the Panthers with a stifling 1-3-1 zone and man-to-man defenses. The Panthers clamped down defensively in the second quarter, but found few answers in the second half. The final tally was a 37-70 loss for Rangely, while Vail Christian remains tied for the top league record. Timothy Scoggins led the Panthers in scoring with 14 points. The Panther C-team recorded a win, while the JV team lost to the Saints.
Vail Mountain hosted the Panthers on Saturday, and Rangely found themselves in another tough matchup. Beck Sapp for the Gore Rangers torched the Panthers with 18 points, including three 3-pointers in the first half. The Panthers were able to slow down Vail Mountain in the second half with some mixed defenses, but not enough to avoid a 36-69 loss and second league defeat.
“We came out flat-footed against two very good ball clubs. However, I’m confident we’ll learn some valuable lessons from these two games that will help us down the road,” said coach Kyle Boydstun. Vail Mountain remains undefeated in league play. Marstan Wagner put up eight points to lead Rangely, with Fisher Winder, Kevin Wren, and Kenyon Cochrane all pitching in six points each. The Panther JV team lost to Vail Mountain.
Rangely will have a busy weekend with three more league matchups, hosting Hayden on Thursday, Jan. 13, traveling to De Beque on Friday, and then hosting Soroco on Saturday.
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