The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Big test lay ahead for team
It was a frightening start for the Lady Titans against the Ridgway Lady Demons on Friday, January 25.
The game was supposed to be dominated by the Lady Titans from start to finish. Yet after the first quarter of play, one couldn’t help but wonder what was going on out there on the court.
The Lady Demons closed the first quarter with a 6-5 lead, much to the chagrin of Lady Titans head coach MaryMike Haley.
"We were asleep, for sure," says Haley.
Haley concedes that the team was working on a new press in the game that took awhile to take hold. Once it did though, the Lady Titans erupted to outscore Ridgway 16-2 in the second quarter.
"When it clicked, the press looked great," says Haley.
The Lady Demons opened the third quarter with three straight baskets in a row, cutting the Lady Titans’ lead to seven points.
The Lady Titans awoke from the six-point coma to go on a 15-2 run, building a 20-point lead by the fourth quarter.
Junior Emma Vosburg put the game away in the fourth quarter scoring six of her team-leading 27 points, as well as dishing out four assists for the 52-28 victory.
Senior Emma Coburn had another standout performance on the boards in the game, pulling down 22 rebounds. Coburn is now the second top rebounder in the state among all 1A through 4A schools.
The Lady Titans put together a total team effort through all four quarters in their next game against Vail Christian on Saturday, January 26.
They built on their six-point lead in the first quarter, outscoring Vail Christian 16-5 in the second quarter to pull ahead 26-9.
The Lady Titans maintained their game plan throughout the second half, holding Vail Christian to 10 points to win 61-19.
While the usual suspects led the Lady Titan charge, i.e. Coburn with 18 points and Vosburg with 17 points, Haley saw some significant contribution from the rest of the team as well.
Sophomore Sydney Loyed had nine points in the game and juniors Allie McFarland and Maggie Chlipala scored four and five points, respectively.
"I was psyched with how we played in Vail Christian," says Haley. "Everybody contributed."
In addition, the Lady Titans shot 73 percent from the free-throw line, including a phenomenal effort from Vosburg, who sank eight of nine free- throws.
The Lady Titans now look ahead to a big game on Saturday, February 2 when they face Ouray in Ouray.
"We need to go in there and play really well, because we need to send a message to the district," says Haley. "Show that we can play at a higher level."
