The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Home games this weekend
By Than Acuff
After falling to the Gunnison Cowboys 70-62 at home, the Crested Butte Titans boys’ basketball team rebounded to edge out a 37-34 overtime road win against the Del Norte Tigers and look to stay on the winning track this weekend as they host Ridgway on Friday, February 7 and Custer County on Saturday, February 8.
The Gunnison game was everything one could hope for in a high school basketball game as the two teams finished every quarter tied before Gunnison sealed the win in the fourth quarter. The Titans built a 15-11 lead led by three-pointers from Luke Jennings and Tyus Fisher and a feverish effort from Adin Kurak who was questionable for the game due to illness anyway. But a late quarter 7-3 surge by the Cowboys tied it back up 18-18 by the end of the quarter.
Nearly the same occurred in the second quarter as the Titans opened with a 12-4 run paced by six points from Bridger Flores to pull ahead 30-22 midway through the second quarter, but Gunnison came back once again to tie the game 34-34 by halftime.
Eli Hulm knocked down a couple of three-pointers at the start of the third quarter and Fisher added in another, but Gunnison remained in the hunt finding seams to the hoop on the baseline. The teams continued to trade baskets throughout the third quarter with Kurak and Fisher scoring down the stretch but neither team could pull away as they opened the fourth quarter tied up 52-52.
As Gunnison moved to take Kurak out of the game entirely, Fisher came through once again scoring inside twice while Flores hit another three-pointer. But Gunnison’s diligence on the offensive boards and consistent free throw shooting down the stretch ended up sealing the Titans’ fate as Gunnison finished with a 70-62 win. Kurak led the Titans with 18 points, Fisher scored 14 while Flores had 10 and Jennings and Hulm nine points each.
“Adin was sick going into the game and the rest of the guys picked it up offensively,” says head coach Mike Bacani. “The key to that game was our inability to keep them off the offensive boards and we were just not sound defensively. We just couldn’t get a stop when we needed it.”
As a result, the Titans spent their next three workouts focused completely on defense and it paid off as their defensive effort led the way to a 37-34 win against Del Norte on Saturday, February 1.
While the game remained tight in front of a raucous Del Norte crowd, the Titans remained composed as their press started to rattle Del Norte with Owen Pugh hitting a three-pointer to take a 27-23 lead late in the third quarter.
“The building was full and loud,” says Bacani.
They still couldn’t put the game out of reach though and while a coast-to-coast run by Kurak put the Titans up 32-30, Del Norte tied it up with 35 seconds left and the game eventually went to overtime.
The stage was set for the Tigers to pull off an overtime win in front of their hometown crowd, but the Titans had other plans. A long possession by the Titans including two offensive rebounds set up Hulm for a three-pointer. Hulm then stripped the Del Norte point guard for a layup putting the Titans up 37-32. Del Norte scored to pull within three points with 35 seconds left but the Titans had some fouls to give away and they slowly drained the clock with strategic fouls to win 37-34.
“We were not as prolific offensively but boy were we tough defensively,” says Bacani. “I was proud of our guys for playing tough defense but not fouling and, in the end, they executed the plan perfectly. We held them to 34 points in an overtime game which I’ll take anytime.”
The Titans spent earlier this week on the road against Telluride and then return home to host Ridgway on Friday at 7 p.m. and then face Custer County on Saturday at 2 p.m., also at home.
“Telluride is always a tough game and Ridgway is similar,” says Bacani. “I don’t know which Custer team we will get on Saturday but they’re a formidable opponent.”
