STEAMBOAT SPRINGS (2/9/17) – The effect of two mid-week road games was evident at the start of both the Glenwood boys and girls games at Steamboat Springs Thursday night, with each team struggling to make shots. The Lady Demons, however, recovered from a horrendous 1-for-18 first quarter to defeat the Sailors, 33-23, winning their third straight and setting up tonight’s contest for third place at Battle Mountain.
The boys were not as fortunate, unable to counter a dominating performance from Steamboat’s Ethan Riniker or fully recover from a 17-7 opening deficit. An 8-0 start by the Demons in the second quarter drew them within two of the Sailors, but Riniker made five straight free throws, and Glenwood was never able to close the gap before losing, 54-41. The Demons (11-10, 6-4 WSL) missed a chance to move into a first-place tie because Eagle Valley (14-7, 7-3) lost 61-48 at home to Rifle (9-11, 6-4), now tied with Glenwood for second.
GLENWOOD GIRLS 33, STEAMBOAT SPRINGS 23
Two nights after Glenwood (9-11,5-4) matched its season high by scoring 55 points at Summit, the girls equaled their lowest winning point total, but were never really challenged by the winless Sailors (0-19, 0-8).
Maddie Bolitho continued her sizzling shooting from beyond the 3-point line by sinking three more in Steamboat, making her 7-for-15 in the last two games. The first gave Glenwood a 5-4 lead four minutes into the first quarter and would be the last point scored by either team in the period.
Bolitho missed three other long-distance attempts that quarter, while her teammates were going 0-for-13 from anywhere. “I told Maddie, keep shooting,” coach Rhonda Moser said, and the advice paid off in the second period as a driving floater in the lane regained the lead for good, 7-6. That would begin a 10-0 run by the Demons that included Lauren Howell’s 3-pointer after a steal by Ximena Gutierrez, another trey from Bolitho, and a rebound-putback by Tatum Peterson that lifted the Demons to a 17-8 advantage.
Peterson, the league’s fourth leading scorer, was just 1-of-4 in the first half, which Glenwood led 19-12, but Moser counseled her to “be patient if there’s not a good shot and get it to the guards outside.”
Again, Moser’s words proved prophetic as Peterson’s time came in the third quarter. She made a pair of sweet turnaround jumpers in the key and was the recipient of a textbook fast break from Bolitho’s rebound and outlet to Dani DeCrow that crowned an 8-0 surge for a 29-14 lead with 2:05 left in the period.
Moser had words of praise for DeCrow, who had 6 points, four assists, and five steals: “Dani played great defense tonight,” the coach said after the game. Overall the Demon defense picked up the offense, holding the Sailors to 10-of-54 shooting, including just 1-of-19 on 3-point attempts. Raya Duryea, who scored 23 in Glenwood’s earlier five-point win over Steamboat, was limited to 7 points and made 1-of-5 tries from beyond the arc.
Peterson led the Demons with 12 points and 9 rebounds, Bolitho adding 11 to go with 5 boards and 4 assists. Saylor Warren, who hauled in ten rebounds, scored 6 and Howell had 5. Guiterrez, somewhat under the weather, only had 4 points and 2 steals, but did pull down 6 rebounds and had 4 assists.
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS 54, GLENWOOD BOYS 41
Steamboat’s Riniker, the WSL’s 4th-leading scorer, who connected on 3-of-4 three-pointers when the Demons edged the Sailors 39-38 in January, demonstrated other aspects of his versatile talents in denying the Demons a share of the league lead with Eagle Valley.
After the Sailors bolted to a 7-0 start and an 11-2 first-quarter lead, Riniker made the first two of what would be a perfect 8-for-8 night from the line, then turned a steal into a layup to put the Demons down 13.
Angel Garcia’s 3-pointer before quarter’s end, combined with a fast start to the second period, ending with Aaron Smith’s trey, left Glenwood trailing just 17-15 with 3:05 left until halftime. The Demons were down by five, working for a final shot to draw closer when Riniker stole the ball, raced upcourt and was fouled with eight-tenths of a second remaining in the half. He made all three for a 25-17 Sailor lead, and the game was essentially over.
Crowley’s 3-point play early in the third quarter drew the Demons within seven but they would get no closer. Mac Riniker, Ethan’s sophomore brother, scored 6 to help the Sailors to a 43-27 lead by the end of an 18-10 period.
Both Rinikers finished with 14 points, with senior Ethan also grabbing 12 rebounds to go with 4 steals. Jake Berry, who made 3-of-6 treys, scored 11 as the Sailors (9-11, 5-4) moved within a half game of Glenwood and Rifle behind Eagle Valley.
The Demons have now lost three of their last four games, and tonight’s contest at Battle Mountain (7-12, 4-5), which lost by 8 in Glenwood, is critcal to Glenwood’s playoff hopes along with the regular-season finale next Thursday in Rifle.
