Lady Titans’ season ends at Sweet 16

“It was a phenomenal season”

The Crested Butte Lady Titans basketball team was denied a return to the Great Eight round of the 1A state tournament, losing to Kim in the

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The Lady Titans opened the first round of the 1A state tournament with a dominating win over Cheyenne Wells on Friday, March 6 to set up a game with Kim.
Questions swirled about the Lady Titans’ chances prior to Friday’s game, as they lost a starter for the weekend.
Those questions were quickly answered though, as the entire team stepped up to prove that the Lady Titans were there for a reason.
Coach MaryMike Haley started the game with full court pressure disrupting Cheyenne Wells ball handlers, and the Lady Titans took a 16-12 lead.
“We were running from the tip-off,” says coach MaryMike Haley.
While the lead was slight, the team’s confidence was high and the Lady Titans opened the second quarter at full throttle.
“After the first quarter, I knew we could beat them,” says senior Emma Vosburg.
The Lady Titans’ full court pressure took its toll on Cheyenne Wells in the second quarter as Crested Butte outscored their opponent 19-4 to take a 35-16 lead into halftime.
Cheyenne Wells regrouped for the second half playing even with the Lady Titans in the third quarter and winning the fourth quarter, but the damage was done as the Lady Titans held their lead for a 53-45 win.
Vosburg put together a career game with 29 points, five assists and five steals, and junior Sydney Loyed scored 13 points, including two big three-pointers. Sophomore Karleigh Dean came off the bench to score four points and sophomore Shannon Holleran and freshman Sydney Jernigan combined for six points and 14 rebounds.
“The team showed up and took it to them,” says Haley. “The underclassmen stepped up and did their part. We pressed them the entire game and they couldn’t deal with the pressure. Our press won the game for us.”
“We played the best we’ve ever played as a team on Friday,” adds Vosburg. “I put my heart into it and I think the rest of the team did too.”
Unfortunately for the Lady Titans, the reward for winning in the first round was facing Kim in the Sweet 16.
Kim’s reputation transcends the entire state with claims that they could compete in the state tournament at the 3A level, let alone the 1A level.
“They just eat, breathe and sleep basketball and it’s apparent,” says Haley. “Their shortest girl was taller than our tallest girl.”
Staring in the face of an obvious mismatch, the Lady Titans remained strong, giving the game everything they had to offer.
The Lady Titans fell behind 20-9 after a shaky first quarter, but recovered to give Kim a tough battle in the second quarter.
“They couldn’t really stop our drives and our fast break worked, when we could run it,” says Haley.
Kim put the game out of reach officially in the third quarter and ended the game with a 79-32 win.
Vosburg closed her high school career with 14 points against Kim, Holleran scored eight points and senior Jessie Frame had six points and eight rebounds.
Despite the lopsided loss, Haley touts her team’s effort in the face of such a powerful team.
“I was proud of my girls,” says Haley. “They just kept playing. I don’t have any regrets—it was a phenomenal season.”
Vosburg made the most of her last seconds of high school basketball as she took the ball to the hoop through three players in the final three seconds for one last basket.
“I wanted to make my last play the best it could be,” says Vosburg. “I was determined to score. It was a good way to go out.”
Looking back on her final year of high school basketball, Vosburg was proud of the way the season progressed.
“After making the Great Eight last year, I expected to go there at the beginning of this season,” says Vosburg. “But, the path to get there was daunting. I’m really happy and I’m proud of the team this year. The underclassmen really stepped up.”