The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Look for dramatic January rebound
Mark my words sports fans: The Crested Butte Titans boy’s basketball team will be for real, if they can just get healthy and remain healthy.
Meanwhile, coach Brandin Hamilton is doing what he can with the players he has and they are stepping it up as best they can.
The boys had a rough go of it over the weekend at the Meeker County Shootout. Missing three starters makes for a tough situation but the team didn’t get down, despite losing all three games.
They dropped the tournament opening game to Hayden 43-24. Hayden came at the Titans full-court-pressure early that rattled the Titans, and Crested Butte was never able to recover.
“They beat us with pressure,” says Hamilton. “They went on a big run in the first quarter and maintained it.”
The Titans then ran into a bigger brick wall in their second game of the tournament against 3A school Cedaredge, losing 64-27.
But, in true testament to the Titans’ heart, they made a run in their final game of the weekend against Rangely.
Turnovers plagued the Titans through the first half, giving the ball away 21 times to fall behind by 23 points.
“I told them, ‘You’re beating yourselves,’” says Hamilton. “Our goal was to win the third quarter and see what happens.”
The Titans took better care of the ball in the second half and clawed their way back into contention before eventually falling 53-42.
Senior Cheyne Salley led the team with 14 points.
Crested Butte looked to rebound on Monday night in the their home opener against the Creede Miners.
While they were still missing key starters, the team made big strides over the previous weekend and was looking to go into the Christmas break with a win.
Both teams opened the game sloppy but the Titans took advantage of the unconventional play for a couple of easy baskets.
Senior Luis Aguirre started it off with a steal and a basket and junior Ryan Costello grabbed an offensive board and scored for a quick four-point lead.
The Titans’ press forced another turnover as sophomore Grant Johnson picked the ball off a Miner and fed senior Sean Johnson underneath to close the first quarter.
Aguirre kept up the hustle on defense, leading the way for the Titans in the second quarter. Aguirre scored another bucket off a steal and Costello knocked down four of five free throws to give the Titans a five-point lead heading into halftime.
Grant Johnson sparked a six-point run in the third quarter with a steal and a basket and Costello drained two jumpers, but Creede battled back to cut the Titans’ lead to two points by the end of the third quarter.
The two teams traded baskets through the fourth quarter with Costello and Aguirre sharing the load on offense. Just as the Titans were poised to pull away, Creede’s three-point shooter hit two from behind the arc to take their first lead of the game.
Costello fouled out with just over a minute left to play and Creede hit four of six free throws down the stretch to seal the 35-32 win.
Costello led the Titans with 17 points, including shooting seven of eight from the free-throw line, followed by Aguirre with 11 points.
“It was a disappointing loss,” says Hamilton. “Even with all of our injuries it was a winnable game. I’m proud of the younger players being asked to take on roles they’re not used to. They just need experience.”
The Titans have a break from the action for the next two weeks and hope to come back in January for the start of league play at full strength.
