The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“The defense will be there”
It was a tough stretch for the Crested Butte Titan boy’s basketball team last week with three games over five days. Initially they had one game on Monday and then all week to regroup for another on Friday but winter storms forced rescheduling, leaving them to play Monday, Wednesday and then again on Friday.
They opened the week with a win over Lake County on Monday, but had their hands full as they headed out of town to face the Sierra Grande Panthers in the Panther Den.
Coach Brandin Hamilton knew it was going to be tough in Sierra Grande’s gym but looked forward to the match-up with the Panthers sitting in the middle of the league standings.
“We went into the game thinking, ‘Let’s see where we stand,’” explains Hamilton.
Sierra Grande has one player who is lighting up the league, averaging double-digit scoring and rebounds, In addition, they’ve surrounded him with a deep bench, allowing the Panthers to push the pace and pressure full court all game long.
While the Titans handled the full court pressure relatively well, they continue to struggle in their half court offense, missing open looks inside to set-up baskets. Furthermore, the looks they did get missed their mark as the Titans fell behind 17-10 by halftime.
“We did fine against their press—we just couldn’t score,” says Hamilton.
On the up-side though, the Titans defense was well intact and Quinn Winter had established himself as the man inside, swatting a shot by the Panthers’ top player early and forcing the Panthers to adjust on offense.
The Titans came out in the third quarter with a renewed sense of purpose, led by Winter. Winter scored nine points in the third quarter as the Titans outscored the Panthers 13-8 to cut the Panthers’ lead down to two points heading into the fourth quarter.
Unfortunately, the end result of their effort in the third quarter was foul trouble and injury. Three Titans starters had four fouls each and David Wasinger had to sit several minutes nursing a hurt knee. Sierra Grande jumped on the beleaguered Titans team to open a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter and held on for the 40-30 win.
“Having three guys with four fouls and trying to close a gap is tough,” says Hamilton.
Winter led all players that evening with 16 points and double-digit rebounds while holding the Panthers’ top player to just seven points.
“Quinn went off in that game,” says Hamilton.
The Titans returned to the court on Friday, February 7 for a league game against the South Park Burros. With two games in the past four days and a shallow bench, the Titans ultimately ran out of steam against the Burros.
While the Titans defense remained in place with Tommy Rainville coming up with a handful of huge blocks, their offense was a mess. Adding insult to injury, starting point guard Joe Hayes fell into foul trouble and the Titans stumbled into halftime down 17-9.
The team had been there before just two days earlier and hoped to use the third quarter as a jumping off point to mount a comeback, but were handed a blow when South Park opened the second half shooting a technical foul.
Their shooter hit both and they scored a three-pointer on the ensuing possession, leaving the Titans down 22-9 to open the third quarter.
Winter knocked down a 12-foot jumper on the Titans’ next trip up the court but the Burros proceeded to go on 17-0 scoring run to bury the Titans for good.
“Starting off with a technical was tough,” says Hamilton. “The kids were deflated after that.”
The Titans eventually fell 54-20 to the Burros with Winter the top scorer dropping in just eight points.
“As a unit we couldn’t overcome defensively and our legs were shot,” says Hamilton. “It was a tough game. They know they’re a better team than the final score.”
The Titans head to Antonito on Friday, February 14 and will host the Sangre de Cristo Thunderbirds in mighty Mt. Olympus on Saturday, February 15. Games start at high noon on Saturday.
Despite the current spate of losses, Hamilton maintains his optimism and is focusing his team for a strong finish to the season.
“I still feel like there’s opportunity this season,” says Hamilton. “I’m going to loosen things up on offense. We’ve got nothing to lose. The defense will be there.”
