The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“I’m really proud of the way the seniors finished off the season”
While the final two weeks of the Titans boys basketball season was steeped in turmoil, the players who stuck through it all came out better in the end.
As the Titans prepared for a final run in league play, the team lost four starters for a variety of reasons. As a result, coach Brandin Hamilton was left to forfeit two games and start five players with little to no varsity time for games against Sargent and Sangre de Cristo. The Titans lost the two games by a combined score of 105-22 but Hamilton saw a silver lining.
“They played their butts off and didn’t care about the final score,” says Hamilton. “It built some positive momentum.”
The team got Jesse Reeves, Kane Hamilton and Grant Johnson back for their next came against Sanford on Thursday, February 21.
Sanford has been a force all season long, posting an undefeated record in league play and has yet to lose to a 2A squad all year.
With three starters back and momentum off the bench players’ effort the week before, the Titans came out on fire, giving Sanford fits through the first half.
“We were down five points in the second quarter and Sanford was losing their minds because they weren’t blowing us off the floor,” says Brandin.
Sanford’s game plan eventually took hold as they used their two big guys inside to beat on Kane and get him in foul trouble.
Sanford opened up a 14-point lead by halftime and when Kane’s time was limited due to fouls, Sanford took over the game to win 58-32.
Reeves led the Titans with 18 points and Kane finished with 12 points and seven rebounds.
Despite the final score, Brandin saw a side of his team that he had not seen all season long.
“It was the best team basketball we had played all season,” says Brandin. “The guys were really proud of their effort and we were feeling good.”
The new team vibe carried over into their final regular season game against Del Norte on Saturday, February 23, at least through the first half.
The Titans came out fired up and ran roughshod over Del Norte to build a 30-14 lead at the half. Kane was a menace all over the court, racking up 13 points and nine rebounds in the first half alone.
Unfortunately, Del Norte took a page from Sanford’s playbook and kept hammering away at Kane inside.
Kane picked up his fourth foul early in the third quarter and had to sit but the Titans remained focused while Del Norte chipped away at the lead. Del Norte cut the Titan lead down to four points but with Kane back and the offense and defense running strong, the Titans rebuilt a seven-point lead to open the fourth quarter.
Kane eventually picked up his fifth foul and Del Norte jumped on the wounded Titans to outscore them 18-6 in the fourth and pull away for the 49-41 win.
Reeves finished the game with a team-high 16 points but suffered an injury in the process as the Titans prepared for their opening playoff game against center.
With Reeves hobbled by injury and Kane forced to take on the point guard role, the Titans struggled to find their rhythm on offense and fell to Center 31-28 to end their season.
Kane finished his final high school game scoring 19 points and grabbing 12 boards, with Tommy Rainville adding in six and Reeves limited by injury to just three points.
“To start off the season 7-2 and finish 7-11 just hurts,” admits Brandin. “I’m really proud of the way the seniors finished off the season.”
