MEEKER | The Meeker High School girls basketball team closed out its regular-season home schedule Friday night with a dominant 65-25 win over De Beque on Senior Night.
The Cowboys improved to 17-5 overall and 11-3 in league play, securing third place in the standings. Meeker honored seniors Braydin Raley, Shailee Rundberg, Rylee Sullivan and Addie Knowles before tipoff, then delivered one of its most complete performances of the season in front of a packed home crowd.
“It was a really good senior night,” head coach Eric Hamilton said. “The girls were really excited. They played hard for their seniors. All four seniors played really well, and it was just a lot of fun. We had a dominating win, so definitely exciting for all the kids.”
Hamilton praised the senior class for its leadership throughout the season.
“They’re just first-class kids,” Hamilton said. “They treat the younger girls with a lot of respect, and I think in turn all the underclassmen have tons of respect for the seniors. I see a lot of love with those girls for the other classmen. They really take care of them. They encouraged them all year and were just outstanding leaders.”
The last time the teams met was Feb. 28, 2025, when Meeker fell 58-47 on the road. This time, on their home floor, the Cowboys controlled the game from the start.
Meeker set the tone early with defensive pressure and balanced scoring, holding the Dragons to just 25 points while forcing turnovers and limiting second-chance opportunities.
“I thought the girls really locked in defensively and played a real physical game,” Hamilton said. “We shared the ball really well. Our transition was working nicely. Everybody that came off the bench performed at a high level.”
Sullivan led the scoring effort with 17 points. Rundberg added 11 points, including three 3-pointers, while Knowles contributed eight points and a team-high 13 rebounds.
Freshman Raegan Clatterbaugh filled the stat sheet with seven points, 10 rebounds, six assists, five steals and two blocks. Raley added seven steals as Meeker’s defensive pressure overwhelmed De Beque.
The Cowboys finished with 17 assists as a team and rotated freely as the lead grew.
Despite the strong finish, Hamilton said the regular season left room for reflection.
“I think somewhat disappointing,” he said. “We really wanted to win that league championship, and we had some good chances. We lost a couple games that, looking back, we wish we could have done a couple things differently. But we’re happy with our No. 12 seed.”
Meeker earned the No. 12 seed in the Class 3A state tournament and will open postseason play on the road against No. 21 Highland. A win would advance the Cowboys to face host Salida the following day.
Hamilton said preparation this week will focus on fine-tuning details.
“Probably just cleaning up a few things we still need to perfect,” he said. “We’re going to change a couple things in our press break and maybe make a couple adjustments in some defensive sets. We’re going to rely on a lot of bench play this week, so everybody’s going to have to contribute.”
To make a deep run, Hamilton emphasized consistency.
“We can’t have any setbacks,” he said. “We have to shoot the ball well and defend as a team. Playoffs are extremely intense. It’s do or die. Everybody’s going to play hard. We just have to be the team that plays the hardest and bring our very physical, relentless defense every night.”
Hamilton believes his team is trending in the right direction.
“Yes, I really do,” he said of peaking at the right time. “Practices have been extremely good. They’re shorter but very intense. The girls seem focused and ready for this playoff run.”
With senior leadership, defensive consistency and renewed focus, the Cowboys enter postseason play confident their best basketball is still ahead.
Seniors Shailee Rundberg, Rylee Sullivan, Addie Knowles and Braydin Raley turn toward the camera giving thumbs-up during a timeout Friday on Senior Night against DeBeque, The Cowboys finished the regular season with a 65-25 win to honor their four seniors. BOBBY G’s MEMORIES PHOTO