The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Cautiously optimistic
The Crested Butte Titan girls’ basketball team headed to South Park this past weekend for a couple of non-league match-ups and came away with two wins and a heightened sense of confidence.
They opened the weekend on Friday, November 30 with a hard-fought win over 4A school Summit County.
Coach Marymike Haley put her team to the test asking them to run a full court press and man-to-man defense all four quarters.
The game could have gone either way with both teams threatening to pull away, but neither would relinquish a game-killing run.
The two teams entered the locker room tied at halftime and the Titans came out in the third quarter hoping to put the game out of reach.
After building a seven-point lead midway through the third quarter, the Lady Titans’ run came to a halt when they checked out for a couple of minutes.
“We kind of fell asleep and Summit County tied it up by the end of the third quarter,” says Haley.
Rather than dwell on the missed opportunity, the Lady Titans remained strong to outscore Summit County in the fourth quarter to take the 49-42 win.
“I was obviously very excited that we were able to beat a bigger school,” says Haley. “They needed to be present the entire game and they did just that.”
Two of the biggest changes coach Haley saw in the team this year from last was composure with the ball and strength in the paint. Juniors Elisabeth Desmarais, Suzanna Dumas and Elizabeth Kilpatrick dominated the boards over the two days of games.
“Our rebounding was phenomenal,” says Haley. “Elisabeth was a monster on the boards all weekend.”
Junior Shannon Costello led all scorers with 14 points, adding in 12 steals, and senior Maddie Stichter was close on her heels on offense with 12 points.
The Lady Titans had an easier game the next day against Cripple Creek, coasting to a 69-35 win.
The game allowed Haley to give several players key varsity minutes and she liked what she saw, especially from sophomores Mallory Mikeska and Ariel Kilpatrick.
“Mallory’s aggressive on defense and has a good sense of the floor,” says Haley. “Ariel did an awesome job with seven points and seven rebounds.”
Costello led all scorers again with 17 points and Stichter scored 16, including shooting four-for-four from the free-throw line.
While Haley admits it was a good weekend for the team, she still sees some holes.
“Our defense was good but it can definitely be better,” says Haley. “Hopefully we can take the momentum from the weekend into practice this week.”
The Lady Titans have a big break from competition, with their next games not until December 17-19 in Colorado Springs.
“We’ve got some down time, which is tough,” says Haley, “but they’re focused in the gym at practice. We’ve got 22 girls out so that allows us do more with the team.”
