GLENWOOD SPRINGS (1/15/19) — Emily Worline made six three-pointers all last season; the senior guard drilled five in a 48-21 win over Eagle Valley Tuesday, and leads the state’s girls basketball players with 44 treys. The Eagle Valley boys basketball team attempted over 900 three-pointers a year ago, and while that number is down, the Devils threatened to upset Glenwood before the Demon boys finally hit some shots of their own beyond the arc in a 69-53 win. Both Glenwood teams improved to 3-0 in Western Slope League play, while the Devils’ squads fell to 0-3.
GLENWOOD BOYS 69, EAGLE VALLEY 53
Eagle Valley’s Jacob Medina led the Devils (4-6) to an early 8-2 advantage, nailing a pair of three-pointers, before Glenwood (10-4) scored the final 11 points of the quarter to go in front, 13-8. Juniors Patrick Young and Will Navarez led the comeback, combining for nine points.
After the Devils drew within two, 17-15, Kevin Ayon matched his first-period output with another 4 points and his free throw with 1:48 to go gave Glenwood a 10-point lead. When Chano Gonzalez turned a steal into a layup, the Demons were in control, 28-16, with 30 seconds left in the half.
Then the 3-point bombers of Eagle Valley’s past came to life: Carlos Quezada missed two treys, but his third try went in and Medina dropped in two more in the final ten seconds before halftime, bringing the Devils within three, 28-25.
Medina’s 4-point play at the 4:21 mark of the third quarter finally regained the lead for Eagle Valley, 35-34, triggering the first of six lead changes before the period ended with another steal and layup from Gonzalez, putting Glenwood ahead, 46-42. The lightning-quick Demon senior poured in the final nine points, including Glenwood’s first 3-pointer in ten tries.
Two free throws from Medina just seconds into the fourth quarter trimmed the lead to two points, but then the long-distance roles reversed. Angel Garcia, who had just two points at the half, then committed four fouls in the third period, suddenly found his 3-point stroke, hitting two treys surrounding a put-back by Navarez, to extend Glenwood’s lead to eight. A 3-pointer by Gonzalez put the Demons up, 59-48, with 5:30 remaining.
Meanwhile, Medina, who had buried 5-of-9 triples through the first three periods, seemed to run out of gas, missing five attempts in the fourth, including one blocked by Gonzalez. Up by ten with 50 seconds to play, Chano made sure there would not be another last-second barrage by Eagle Valley, driving for a basket, hitting a jumper, and turning a lead pass from Mitchell Burt into a final layup. That eight-point flurry left Gonzalez with a career-high 27 points.
Garcia chipped in 12 before fouling out, followed by Ayon’s 8 first-half points. The Demon senior guard also contributed 5 steals and 3 assists. Holden Kleager played a large role on defense with 8 rebounds, four steals, and 3 blocks. Medina’s 21 led the Devils, who made 9-of-31 3-pointers. That was offset somewhat by a 17-24 free throw performance from Glenwood.
GLENWOOD GIRLS 48, EAGLE VALLEY 21
The Glenwood girls’ path to 3-0 in league play was not nearly so perilous, though a horrid 3-of-22 shooting performance in the first quarter limited them to a 6-2 lead. Eagle Valley, however, made just two baskets and missed all 9 free throws in the first half. After four futile 3-point attempts in the initial period, Worline caught fire in the second, making three straight within the first 90 seconds. Hadley Yellico splashed a trey, and Worline made a fourth, concluding a 15-0 blitz that gave Glenwood a 21-2 lead with two minutes left in the half. A follow-shot by Kate Shanahan put the Demons up 23-4 at intermission.
The third period featured six Lady Demons entering the scorebook, led by 4 points each from Qwinn Massie and Logan Nieslanik, in a 17-4 quarter for a 40-8 lead going into the final eight minutes. Glenwood (7-7) reverted to its first-quarter shooting woes as the Devils (2-8) topped their total scoring output with a 9-0 beginning to the final frame, causing coach Rhonda Moser to call a time out, though the outcome was never in doubt.
The final minutes featured the first varsity points of junior Michelle Marshall, who tallied the final two buckets in the 27-point win. Worline continued a string of four-straight double-diget scoring games with 15, followed by 8 from Massie. Shanahan pulled down 11 rebounds to go with four points, with Ashley Barragan grabbing 8 boards, and Nieslanik and Yellico, scoring 9 points combined, with each grabbing four steals to lead the defense.
Both Demon teams will travel to Steamboat Springs Saturday. Due to broadcast signal difficulties in the Sailor gym, KMTS will be unable to carry the games.
