The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Rebound from loss with win over Lake County
The San Luis Valley is a hot spot for ferocious girls’ high school basketball. They play no-holds-barred, high-pressure defense across the board and are so competitive that teammates on some teams in the past had restraining orders against each other.
So when the Lady Titans headed to Sierra Grande on Thursday, January 6, Lady Titans’ head coach Brandin Hamilton’s biggest concern was his team’s reaction to the in-your-face San Luis Valley style.
Ultimately, it wasn’t the pressure so much that rattled the Lady Titans, but ice-cold shooting that sealed their fate.
“The pressure didn’t bother us,” says Hamilton. “We just couldn’t put the ball in the basket.”
The Lady Titans matched Sierra Grande’s intensity through the first quarter holding to within three points but when Crested Butte shooters started missing easy baskets inside the key, the team lost focus.
Sierra Grande outscored the Lady Titans 12-4 in the second quarter to build a 22-11 lead but Hamilton reminded his team of their game plan at halftime and the Lady Titans came out of the locker room fired up.
“We just refocused on what our plan was, which was to go inside,” says Hamilton.
Crested Butte opened the third quarter getting the ball into the post three times in a row to score and cut the Sierra Grande lead down to five points but the Lady Titans’ shooting turned cold once again.
Sierra Grande pulled away once more for good in the waning minutes of the third quarter and outscored Crested Butte 11-4 in the fourth quarter to win 43-26.
Junior Sydney Jernigan led the Lady Titans with 10 points, senior Shannon Holleran joined her in the post to score seven and sophomore point guard Maddie Stichter broke through the Sierra Grande swarm to score five points.
“They did everything I asked,” says Hamilton. “They were more aggressive, more physical—Sierra Grande just has our number.”
Fortunately, the Lady Titans’ pace carried over to their next game against Lake County and they shed their shooting woes.
Lake County opened the game with a full court press but Crested Butte shredded it to open up shots in the key. Led by Jernigan, Crested Butte crashed the boards with ferocity in the first quarter to get second and sometimes third chances at the hoop and open up a slim lead.
Stichter opened the second quarter by draining a 14-foot jumper and Jernigan and Holleran went to work in the low post to put the Lady Titans up 14-6 two minutes in the quarter.
Senior Melissa Gibbens came off the bench to join the Lady Titans press and stole the ball and scored. Junior Ashlee Reimer pulled up for a 10-foot jumper, building the Lady Titans’ lead to 12 points.
Stichter sparked another rally by the Lady Titans scoring four points to open the third quarter and junior Natalie Bowen closed the third with a buzzer-beater as Crested Butte took a 34-15 lead into the fourth quarter.
Lake County made a small run at the Lady Titans’ lead in the fourth quarter but the game was well out of reach as Crested Butte sealed the 39-26 win.
Holleran scored 10 points with Jernigan close behind, scoring eight points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
“It was a good team win,” says Hamilton. “They’ve been working hard at getting better on transition and pushing the ball more, and it showed in that game.”
The next two weeks will be a big test for the Lady Titans. Not only do they start league play but also they start it with a three-game road trip including Sanford, considered the top team in the league. Furthermore, they’re going to do it without two key starters for the next two weeks.
“I’m asking the girls to step up,” says Hamilton. “This is a chance for them to play at a new level and we’re looking at some younger girls to play bigger roles.”
