The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“We came out with a fire and intensity and as the team I know we can be”
By Than Acuff
It was a tough week for the Crested Butte Titans girls’ basketball team with losses to Gunnison, Center and Del Norte, but the team returns to full strength and looks to get back on the winning track over the course of their next three games.
It all started on Tuesday, January 27 down valley as the Titans headed to Gunnison to face the Gunnison Cowboys, a game in which coach Anna Bressinck was hoping to steal a win. Unfortunately, those hopes were eventually dashed by unforeseen circumstances as the Titans fell to the Cowboys 45-12.
“That was one of those days,” says Bressinck. “They played one of their best games of the season and we played our worst game of the season. Some days you just don’t show up.”
The Titans then had to regroup in time to host league opponent Center on Thursday, January 29. Much like all of the teams in Crested Butte’s league, Center would be tough. To make it even tougher, the Titans would be missing one of their top players for the game, but they rose to the occasion, especially in the first quarter.
It was obvious Center wanted to get the ball underneath, but the Titans clamped down to offer little room for Center’s inside player. In the meantime, Lola Wright opened with a couple of baskets and when Ella Davis knocked down a free throw and Molly Miller got free for a layup, the Titans were up 7-4 by the end of the first.
“We came out with a fire and intensity and as the team I know we can be,” says Bressinck.
Wright opened the second quarter with a steal and layup, but Center continued to push the ball inside and while their “go to” player couldn’t score from the floor, she knocked down every free throw to keep her team in the mix. A small run by Center put them out front but Kalyn Buckel came onto the floor for the Titans to bring additional energy and a bucket and Miller scored four points down the stretch to pull within two points of Center by halftime.
“We were right there,” says Bressinck. “We just kept hanging with them.”
Crested Butte’s play to open the third quarter was a bit erratic. While their press caused Center some issues, the Titans struggled to turn their defensive efforts into points. Center started to pull away once again but a plan was in place to get Center’s top player inside in foul trouble and it worked as she picked up her fourth foul and had to sit. Miller and Cecilia Naughton then connected for a couple of baskets and key minutes from Hallie Hicks, Hadley Blaisdell and Davis helped keep the Titans in touch with Center heading into the fourth quarter.
At this point all the cards were on the table as the starting five from both teams, foul trouble or not, were on the floor to go toe-to-toe. The advantage went to the Titans at first as they opened with suffocating team defense and a 6-0 run with baskets coming from Naughton, Miller and Wright to go back on top 26-24. Eventually the game was decided at the free throw line as Center hit seven of 10 free throws down the stretch to pull away for the 33-28 win. Miller led the Titans with 15 points while Wright finished with eight.
“We came up short but that was four quarters of basketball from our girls,” says Bressinck. “We made a plan, they stuck to the plan and played with intensity.”
Crested Butte remained at home to host the Del Norte Tigers on Saturday, January 31, another game within reach but in need of four quarters of solid basketball.
“I know we had a tall task against them,” says Bressinck.
Unfortunately, it took the first quarter for Crested Butte to get their feet underneath them as the Tigers opened with high pressure defense to build a 17-0 lead in the first quarter.
“It took us by surprise how high they were pressuring, and it was something we had to work through,” says Bressinck.
The Titans did work through it to play even with the Tigers the next three quarters, but the hole was too deep to climb out of as the Titans fell 40-21. That said, Miller did hold Del Norte’s top scorer to six points while scoring seven points and Buckel had seven points in the game as well.
“We responded well and kept pushing and kept fighting,” says Bressinck. “Kalyn had a fantastic week, and we saw some good things out of our players off the bench. We just had seven really good quarters that week and five really bad quarters and that’s the difference between finishing the week 3-0 and 0-3.”
Crested Butte looks to get back on track this week with three games including two on the road against Ridgway and Custer County.
“These are three winnable games if we can come together, show up and play the way we know how to play,” says Bressinck. “The only opponent beating us, is us.”
