Titans girls basketball drops two in Grand Junction

“We came out a little black and blue, but we took it to them”

By Than Acuff 

The Crested Butte Titans girls basketball had just seven varsity players for a tournament in Grand Junction last weekend while seven JV players traveled elsewhere to get some games. But when workouts started, they were soon down to six as they lost their starting point guard to injury, forcing coach Anna Bressnick and the team to adjust.

The adjustments included moving Molly Miller, who is a force under the basket, out to the point guard spot as they hit the road to face Caprock Academy and Plateau Valley Friday and Saturday, December 8–9. 

“They were all in and took on their new responsibilities whole-heartedly,” says Bressnick.

The Titans did struggle on offense against Caprock’s aggressive man-to-man defense scoring just seven points, all from free throws, in the first half. The good news was that they remained focused and solid on defense holding Caprock to just 11 points all half to keep the game close.

“I was very impressed with our defense starting out,” says Bressnick. “We kept them from getting any good looks at the basket.”

Unfortunately, Caprock’s numbers advantage soon played out over the course of the second half as the Titans had just one sub the entire game and Caprock pulled away to win 27-15.

“We were right there at halftime, but we just ran out of gas,” says Bressnick. 

The Titans returned to the floor Saturday to face an even tougher opponent in Plateau Valley.

“The competition was definitely a level up,” says Bressnick.

Fortunately, while Bressnick had little information on Caprock, she got a look at Plateau Valley and had a plan in place for her team.

“They run a full court press the entire game, so we were prepared,” says Bressnick.

Still, with just one sub against an opponent who has one of the top scorers in the state, there was only so much the Titans could do. They hung in there and managed to beat the press with some success to score 11 points in the first quarter, but Plateau Valley relied on their top scorer to build a 41-13 lead by halftime.

Regardless, the Titans kept plugging away and saw additional success scoring by beating the press to drop in 12 points during the third quarter. 

“We were able to get into a better offensive flow in the second half,” says Bressnick. “Everybody played a bit looser and we were getting better shots.”

While the Titans eventually fell 67-28, there were still plenty of positives to pull from the game.

“We came out a little black and blue, but we took it to them,” says Bressnick. “We got to see some different looks and we will learn from that and take what we can from that. In times of adversity, you come together and figure out what you’re made of.”

The Titans are playing in the Gunnison Valley this week as they head to Gunnison on Saturday, December 16 to face Telluride at 9 a.m. and then Montezuma-Cortez at noon. The team will still be missing their starting point guard, but Bressnick plans to use the games to get some of her JV players experience in varsity games.

“We’re a little short personnel-wise but we’re making the most of it,” says Bressnick.