The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“These kids have a lot of heart and a lot of determination”
It was an abrupt end to the Crested Butte Lady Titans basketball season, as they fell in the first round of the post-season to the Sargent Farmers last Tuesday.
The team was peaking at just the right time and was primed to make some waves in the playoffs. Under the tutelage of coach Mike Moran, the Lady Titans transformed over the course of the season from a group of raw talent athletes into a serious basketball squad.
Moran took over the program in the fall and while he had the benefit of four seniors in the starting five, he still had his work cut out for him. They needed work in a number of individual areas and they needed to learn and adopt Moran’s style of basketball. Still, he knew there was something to this group of girls. Having watched them battle against some of the toughest programs in the state in volleyball, Moran knew they would respond to hard work.
“These kids have a lot of heart, and a lot of determination,” says Moran.
The Lady Titans saw early success in their opening non-league games and gathered confidence early, yet their game remained somewhat rough around the edges. Furthermore, they were plagued by a rash of illness that further stymied their development.
But as the season wore on, the Lady Titans started finding their rhythm. Shannon Costello led the team in scoring throughout the season but as the year progressed, the team saw additional production from Elizabeth Kilpatrick and Suzanna Dumas inside, with Ali McGuire and Courtney Kopf offering key baskets from the perimeter.
Midway through the season, the Lady Titans team was gaining steam, knocking off mid-range league opponents and testing the top programs from the league.
“We played the top four teams in the league really tough,” says Moran.
The Lady Titans hit their peak in the final week of the regular season. After taking down Custer County and Cotopaxi, they closed the regular season with a near upset on the road against Del Norte, finishing league play 5-5.
They entered the post-season the fifth seed and would have a rematch with the Sargent Farmers.
After falling behind 17-5 in the first game they met, the Lady Titans battled back, eventually losing by four so Moran had a good feeling about the rematch.
“I thought we had a good chance at beating them this time around,” says Moran.
Sergeant came prepared, though. Costello proved to be one of the top scorers in the league and the Farmers opened the game with two players pressuring Costello full court.
The initial pressure led to a number of early turnovers by the Lady Titans as the Farmers took a 10-4 lead, but after a couple of timeouts by Moran, Crested Butte regrouped.
“I told them to attack the basket like we do in practice and we were able to get some easy baskets inside,” says Moran.
As the game continued, the Lady Titans caught fire, ultimately building a five-point lead going into the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, Dumas picked up her fifth foul down the stretch and the Lady Titans struggled from the free throw line as Sargent climbed back into the game to pull away with a 38-33 win.
“It was a crazy game,” says Moran. “I was really proud of them. We just couldn’t close it out when we needed to. It came down to the little things at the end of the game.”
The loss ended the Lady Titans’ season, leaving them one game shy of making the state tournament and while the final game was disappointing, Moran is extremely proud of the season as a whole.
“We had such an exciting season,” says Moran. “I’ve never met a better group of kids and the community support is incredible.”
