Lady Titans charge into playoffs

Finish regular season with huge upset

The Lady Titans fired off back-to-back wins last week, including a massive upset over Sangre de Cristo on Saturday, to close the regular season, setting them up for a strong run in the post season.
All season long the Lady Titans showed glimpses of greatness, especially in the past couple of weeks. They hit a pinnacle when they put four quarters of basketball together to beat South Park two weeks ago.
Unfortunately, one week later, they fell back into old habits, playing only two of four quarters to lose big to Custer County.
Now, after the past week of play, it appears they’re back on track and poised to shake things up in the district tournament this coming weekend.
The Lady Titans kicked off the final weekend of the regular season with a big win over Antonito. Given Antonito’s level of talent, coach Marymike Haley saw an opportunity to continue honing her team for the post season as well as the future.
“We implemented a new defense and that made all of the difference,” says Haley.
According to Haley, she put together a full court zone defense and a half court zone for two reasons. First and foremost, it would give her team a break from the physical rigors of man-to-man pressure all four quarters.
“I realized that we would break down when we got tired,” says Haley.
Secondly, Haley hoped working as a team in a zone format would create a new level of teamwork.
“Working like that might make a difference, and we needed that,” says Haley.
The new defense passed its first test as the Lady Titans crushed Antonito 73-38 with three Lady Titans scoring in double figures. Senior Toni Brown led the team with 18 points, junior Maddie Stichter scored 16 and sophomore Shannon Costello put up 11 points on the night.
The true test of the new game plan came the next night as the Lady Titans hosted Sangre de Cristo. Sangre came into the game having just beaten defending 2A state champions Sanford the night before and were tied for first place in the league.
After giving up two early baskets to Sangre, the Lady Titans fired off eight straight points, led by Costello. The Lady Titans defense remained tough and held Sangre in check and after one quarter, Crested Butte was down 10-8.
“They got it that if they work together, they can shut Sangre down,” says Haley. “After the first quarter, they believed it.”
Rebounding was a big part of the Lady Titans success early in the game as sophomores Elisabet Desmarais and Suzanna Dumas started pulling down rebounds and kicking the ball out for quick transitions up court.
Dumas had a huge offensive board early in the second quarter to kick the ball to Costello on the perimeter and Costello drained the 14-foot jumper for a 14-12 Lady Titans lead.
Sangre rebuilt their five-point lead over the course of the next three minutes and looked to pull away until the Lady Titans closed the first half with an 11-2 run to take a 31-23 lead into halftime.
But the third quarter has haunted the Lady Titans all season and Haley feared it was happening again after the first minute of the third quarter.
“I know they tend to come out flat in the third quarter so I didn’t keep them in the locker room very long,” says Haley.
Sangre scored easy back-to-back buckets to open the quarter and Haley called a timeout immediately to pull her team together.
Stichter came out of the time out to knock down a jumper and the Lady Titans relied on hustle to hold back a Sangre surge. While Sangre outscored Crested Butte 10-4 in the quarter, the Lady Titans held onto a two-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
“The upper classmen took charge and kept the team in the game,” says Haley. “Both Toni and Maddie believed the team could win the game.”
The lady Titans opened the fourth quarter scoring six quick points, capped by a deft move in the paint from Desmarais. Sangre pulled back to within two points with just over a minute left to play before Costello exploded to score five of her team-leading 23 points that night, giving Crested Butte a five-point cushion.
The Lady Titans’ intensity carried them through the final minute of play as they held on for the 46-42 win.
“They finally put it all together,” says Haley. “I think they’re peaking right now.”
The Lady Titans look to carry their momentum into district playoffs this week as they gun for one of five spots in the regional tournament.
“When they click, they’re a force and can beat anybody,” says Haley.