Strong second half lifts Cowboys over Titans

The Gunnison High School boys basketball team got revenge on their in-valley rivals last week for their second win of the season.

The Cowboys beat the Crested Butte Titans 69-40 in their gym on Wednesday, Feb. 11. The boys turned defense into offense in the second half, outscoring the Titans 43-20 for the 29-point win.

“You know, we were ultra-aggressive physical and we really, we got a lot of points in transition,” said Cowboys’ head coach Christian Aguilar. “That's where a lot of our success [came from] and as far as building a lead in that second half, especially the third quarter.”

Jake Ebbott led the team with 19 points in the game. Max Peluso had 16 and Asher Woytek had 10 points. Jorge Perez finished with nine, Cooper Boardman scored five, Jack Stone and Ryder Vincent each scored three and Rylan Sahagun and Landon Miller each scored two points to round out the scoring.

Aguilar emphasized that Peluso made his impact known on every play and was a big key in the Cowboys’ second victory of the season. Ebbott’s performance from behind the 3-point line was another massive reason for the win, said Aguilar. Ebbott caught fire, making five 3-pointers in the game.

The Cowboys finished out the week with a game against Telluride at home on Saturday, Feb. 14, losing 66-39. Aguilar felt that the boys came into the game lacking energy and just weren’t ready to play. 

The boys found themselves in a 14-point deficit at halftime and couldn’t mount a comeback in the second half. They were outscored 36-23 in the second half and lost by 27 points. 

Gunnison is looking to finish the season on a high note with two games left to play. They start with a game at Olathe (15-5) on Wednesday, Feb. 17. Then, over a week later they host Roaring Fork (16-2) for the final game of the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 28.