Late season peak

When do a few wins turn into a streak? Three seems like the obvious number, and if that’s true, the GHS girls varsity basketball team has officially put one together after two wins at home this past weekend.

The Cowboys have won four out of five of its last games. Head Coach Chad Terry said his team is peaking at just the right time, as the regular season winds down.

Both of last week’s games were on Cowboy’s home court. On Friday, Feb 10, the Cowboys conquered Meeker on senior night, with a final score of 46-32. On Saturday, Gunnison overcame Roaring Fork 54-37. The games gave the Gunnison girls varsity team its first verified winning record in years at 10-8. The league record sits at 7-6.

A senior night ceremony preceded Friday’s game against Meeker.  The weekend marked the final regular season home games for the team’s four seniors: Adamary Vitinio, Lorena Diaz, Cooper Keating and Elaina Dillard.

The following competition had a clean throughline. Gunnison led every quarter aside from the fourth. Kylee McDougal led the way during the first — scoring two baskets, three free-throws and a 3-pointer. In the second Lily Wild contributed two 3-pointers, bringing the score to 23-12 at the half. 

In the third, Meredith Diamond and Sienna Gomez got in on the action, each putting up two baskets. Wild put up another 3-pointer in the fourth, while Ava Stewart scored twice. Meeker outscored Gunnison during the quarter, 14-11. But the lead Gunnison had built proved insurmountable and the Cowboys walked away with another win, 46-32.

Gunnison looked even stronger the next day, Saturday, Feb. 11, against the Roaring Fork Rams. The Cowboys outscored the Rams 15-5 in the first period. McDougal, still on fire from the previous evening, put up nine points for the quarter, while Stewart contributed five.

For the rest of the game Sienna Gomez scored point after point. In the second quarter, she added seven points and eight in the third.

The score sat at 33-25 going into the game’s final quarter. The Cowboys continued to dominate. Sienna added another seven points, while McDougal put up four. The final score was 54-37. Gomez was the high scorer with 21 points for the game.

Head Coach Chad Terry said the last three games signify the team is beginning to peak at just the right time. The team is not only finding the net on a more consistent basis, but have solidified when it comes to defense, he said.

“We’re playing really good defense, sometimes in the zone, sometimes man to man,” he said. “We also have three really good outside shooters, Lily, Kylie and Ava. And that helps because [the opposing team] has to come out further which frees up Sienna on the baseline.”

Terry also said the team has improved when it comes to game demeanor.

“One thing that has probably changed some of our success is that we're just so much more composed on the court,” he said. “We don't get rattled, and we’re scoring points, even when [the other team] goes on a run.”

Looking ahead, the Cowboys’ recent success means they are close to ranking in the top four in the Western Slope league. The team will face Olathe on the road this Friday, Feb. 17. If the Cowboys win, Gunnison will host the first round of the district tournament, the schedule for which is still to be determined.

(Jacob Spetzler can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or jacob@gunnisontimes.com)