The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“The points didn’t add up quickly but that was okay”
[ by Than Acuff ]
The Crested Butte Titans girls basketball team continues to gain their footing as they won their second game in a row on Tuesday, February 2 when they took down the Gunnison Cowboys 47-30.
It was a shaky start to the game for the Titans as they traded baskets with the Cowboys through the first quarter. While Crested Butte’s press and pace led to baskets from Sophia Truex, Blakeley Reynolds, Hayes Freeman and Colleen Harris, they struggled to stop Gunnison’s inside game and had a slim one-point lead by the end of the quarter.
“We really were reluctant to get our game going,” says head coach Amanda Reynolds. “We were a bit gassed too and Gunnison came to play which was great.”
They started to find their rhythm at the start of the second quarter with a 9-2 run capped by an offensive rebound and basket from Kate Sherman.
“That was a big rebound, all of our seniors are stepping up big,” says Reynolds.
The Titans’ press continued to give Gunnison trouble but Crested Butte struggled to turn their opportunities into points as shots and free throws missed the mark. Harris did strip one player of the ball for an easy lay up and followed that up with a three-pointer but Gunnison remained in the hunt down just 25-14 at halftime.
“I told them at halftime that we’re just going to come out like it’s the start of the game,” says Reynolds. “I knew they would put it together in the second half.”
Still, the Titans struggled to shut down Gunnison’s inside game and while Alex Downey, Harris and Reynolds did produce on offense, the Titans couldn’t stop Gunnison inside and the Cowboys were down just seven points midway through the third quarter.
“The points didn’t add up quickly but that was okay,” says Reynolds. “I knew the points would come.”
The shift eventually came for the Titans as they started to click at both ends of the court to go on a 7-2 run and close the third quarter up 34-22.
“We have this groove that we get in practice and we just need to find out how to transfer it to games and have longer stretches of that,” says Reynolds. “They will and it won’t take them long. Their basketball IQ is very high,” she said.
Crested Butte continued to push the pace through the fourth quarter opening with a press to help build a 19-point lead. Gunnison scraped together some points inside but the Titans remained in the driver’s seat till the end of the game for the 47-30 win.
“We had some beautiful selfless passes to set up baskets and there’s a lot going well,” says Reynolds. “But there are some things that need more attention too. I think our defense should be further along and that will be at the top of my list. We are going to get there.”
The Titans hit the road this weekend to face Center in Center on Saturday, February 6. The JV plays at 11 a.m. with the varsity slated to tip off at 12:30 p.m. Their next home game will be on Tuesday, February 9 against Telluride starting at 4 p.m. All games can be watched on nfhsnetwork.com.
