Lady Titans run into buzz saw in Ridgway

“Fundamentals, fundamentals, fundamentals”

It’s tough enough when you’re missing a couple of key seniors to illness. Then you have to hit the road and enter an opponent’s gym to face a program with one of the most successful coaches in Colorado high school history.
That was the situation for the Lady Titans on Friday, December 13 when they headed to Ridgway to face the Demons.
It was a tough week for the Lady Titans leading up to the game against Ridgway, with illness running rampant through the team.
“We’re pretty thin and we didn’t have a great week of practice,” says head coach Mike Moran. “But we work hard no matter who’s there. Players just had to learn to step up and we did the best we could.”
The Lady Titans never really had a chance against the Demons, falling behind 18-5 in the first quarter. Things got even harder for Crested Butte as the first half wore on, falling behind 39-11 by halftime.
“They had some great big girls and we just couldn’t keep up,” says Moran. “Really well coached, too.”
The Demons remained on the throttle through the third quarter, outscoring Crested Butte 13-3 before letting off in the fourth.
Crested Butte managed to recover to finish the game with a stronger fourth quarter, putting points up on the board but the game was well out of reach as they eventually fell 58-26.
Senior Shannon Costello led the team with 14 points, five rebounds, three assists and four steals. Senior Suzanna Dumas was next in line with 10 points for the Lady Titans.
“We were humbled,” admits Moran, “but the kids never gave up and fought right to the end.”
Moran and his team now turn their attention to this Friday, December 20 when they host the Telluride Miners in mighty Mt. Olympus.
“We just need to get better every day, learn and play more basketball,” says Moran. “It takes time but we have the right people and the chemistry is great.”
Moran hopes to get his two seniors back this week and try to bring everyone up to speed over the course of the week of practices.
“The focus is on fundamentals, fundamentals, fundamentals,” says Moran. “Shooting the basketball, taking care of the basketball and making good decisions. It’s hard missing two of our seniors.”
Tip-off for the girls’ JV will be at 4 p.m. with the Lady Titans varsity slated to start at 7 p.m.
“One step at a time,” says Moran. “We’ve just got to keep our heads up and be proud.”