FRISCO (1/23/14) — “It’s good to be back,” Glenwood boys coach Cory Hitchcock said. “Back to playing defense, relaxed and playing loose,” and back into the win column after two league losses with an impressive second-half leading to a 58-45 win at Summit. The undefeated Glenwood girls dispensed with any suspense early, turning a 14-2 first quarter into a 60-27 win.
GLENWOOD BOYS 58, SUMMIT 45
The Demons (10-3, 5-2 WSL), who had lost 3 of their last 4 games to fall out of first place in the Western Slope League, opened quickly, taking a 10-2 lead, but with Jason Engel hitting back-to-back 3’s, Summit charged back into a 12-12 tie. The Tigers took the lead in the second period and were up 22-19 when Zach Peterson hit the first of 3 outside jumpers, triggering a 10-2 finish for a 29-24 halftime lead.
“We worked all week on getting the ball inside, and that freed up the outside; Zach can shoot it,” Hitchcock said. They also put in a box-and-one defense with Jake Gentry assigned to 20-point scorer Thomas DeBonville, who managed just one shot in the first period and was 3-for-9 going into the fourth quarter. “He wasn’t going to beat us,” Hitchcock said, and the smothering defense of Gentry, Pete Steckler, and Evrett Marr limited DeBonville to only 12 shots and 13 points for the game.
Brian Burbidge, who matched his season-high with 14 points to lead the Demon scoring with Jared Gambrel, combined with Marr for 10, third-quarter points as the Demon defense clamped down to hold Summit to just 8 points. Steckler drained a trey in the final minute for a 42-32 advantage going into the fourth frame.
The Demons put up a 16-12 finish with Gambrel getting half the points. Eight players got into the scorebook, and Glenwood also cut its turnovers in half from the 28 produced in the one-sided Palisade loss. “We were playing tight and got back to being loose,” Hitchcock said.
A challege awaits tomorrow night at Eagle (4-7, 2-3). “It’s tough to beat a team three times,” Hitchcock warned. Then Glenwood will host Steamboat (8-3, 3-2) Saturday to conclude three games in three days.
GLENWOOD GIRLS 60, SUMMIT 27
After Jordan DeCrow ignited Glenwood’s opening blitz with a pair of 3-pointers, the Lady Demons stepped on the accelerator for 19 points in the second period for an insurmountable 33-9 halftime lead.
Six players scored from 6-to-13 points, led by Delaney Gaddis who also dished 11 assists and had 8 steals. Madi Spence scored 12 and grabbed 11 boards. Jaime Crowley had 8 points and 4 rebounds, and Laura McDermott contributed 6 points and 8 rebounds. DeCrow finished with 8 points and Hailey Armstrong added 6 points and 6 boards.
The Lady Demons (12-0, 7-0 WSL), ranked 7th in the Denver Post 4A state poll, travel to second-place Eagle (8-3, 4-1) Friday and host Steamboat Springs (7-4, 2-3) Saturday.
