Rangely plays “help defense” for league win

RANGELY I Outstanding defense and team basketball gave the Rangely girls’ basketball team another league win, this time against Vail Christian on Saturday.
Rangely held Vail to 25 total points, but it was the Panthers’ third quarter that was worth the price of admission.
The lady Panthers worked together to hold their opponent to one point in the eight-minute period.
Coach Kent said, “We were proud of our defensive effort.” He added, “I was really proud of how many players stepped up in little ways to help get the win. It was a balanced effort and I like the way they played together.”
The team scoring was very indicative of the group effort as three Panthers had seven points, Aimee Hogan, Kayte Allred, and Desiree Coombs. Lindzey Thacker and Tessa Slagle each added six points, giving Rangely a 33-25 win.
The Panthers came out to a 7-4 first quarter lead after eight minutes, but Hogan, a senior, got into foul trouble in the second quarter. Vail Christian made a run and was up by seven at one point.
Rangely tightened the defense and went into the locker room down two before coming out with the necessary adjustments. The team stopped Vail’s top scorer and took the lead in the third, keeping it to the end.
“Desiree and Simone (Heinle) did a great job defending.” Kent said, as the two were given two tough defensive assignments. “Everyone else did a good job of playing defense and putting pressure on their ball handlers and making shots when we needed them.”
This win was a big victory for the Panthers as the postseason approaches. There is still a lot of basketball to be played, and confidence late in the season is extremely important.
This week Rangely will play in Paonia on Friday, then host Hotchkiss on Saturday, finishing their regular season against Meeker next Tuesday at home.