GLENWOOD SPRINGS (2/6/18) – Compared to what’s in store for the Glenwood boys and girls basketball teams at the end of this week, they had been on vacation since their last game prior to Ground Hog Day. Rather than lose their mojo due to inactivity, both teams easily dispatched Summit County to extend the Demons’ Western Slope League sweep streak to seven.
The boys got off to a fast start, survived a sensational second quarter by the league’s leading scorer, then “D’d it up” in the second half to pull away for a 72-52 win, improving their unblemished WSL record to 9-0. As they did at Summit, the Lady Demons struggled early but closed the first half on a 12-0 run fueled by press-induced turnovers for their seventh straight league win, 53-40.
GLENWOOD BOYS 72, SUMMIT COUNTY 52
The first skirmish between Glenwood and Summit, in Frisco, was a track meet, featuring six 20-plus scoring quarters between the two teams, won by the Demons 86-81. In this game, it appeared only Glenwood (16-4) brought its sprinting shoes as the Tigers (9-11, 2-8 WSL) were held thirteen points below their 65 per-game average in the 72-52 loss.
Unlike the game at Summit, neither team shot very well beyond the arc – in that contest, they combined to make 25-of-47 three-pointers. Angel Garcia connected on one to conclude a 7-0 start to the game, and made another midway through the second quarter, but that was it, in 12 long-distance attempts for the Demons in the first half. Summit, which has three of the league’s top seven 3-point shooters, attempted only three in the first half, which should be attributed to the Demons’ suffocating man-to-man defense.
Summit began the game making just one of ten shots, while Glenwood put together another run, 8-0, for a 13-point lead, until a couple of late baskets by the visitors. Chano Gonzalez and Garcia combined on 11 of the Demons’ 17-6 first-quarter points.
Mario Ramirez, built like an interior football lineman, surprised the Demons by sinking a 3-pointer to open the second quarter. Then Turner McDonald, who leads the WSL with 20.5 points per game, began to penetrate the lane with impunity, scoring 13 as Summit outpointed Glenwood 24-20 in a quarter reminiscent of the first match between the teams.
When a McDonald steal and layup led to a 3-point “and-one,” the Demon lead was shaved to 32-30 with 46 seconds to go before halftime. But AJ Crowley responded with a 3-point drive of his own, and following a Summit turnover, wove through several defenders to score at the buzzer, restoring a 37-30 Glenwood lead at intermission.
Wyatt Buller, who had 26 points on 5-of-9 three-pointers in the initial game between these teams, was limited to just 2-of-3 from downtown by Garcia in this game, but one of those treys cut the Demon edge to 37-33 twenty seconds into the third quarter. However, Crowley put the clamps on McDonald, holding him to 3 points and just two shot attempts for the period. Garcia hit his third triple of the game in the midst of an 8-0 Glenwood run and pumped in another following Wyatt Ewer’s 3-pointer for a 57-42 lead going into the fourth quarter.
McDonald, who was 3-for-9 outside of his sizzling 6-of-7 in second period, led all scorers with 22 and Buller had 15 for Summit. Garcia sank 4-of-8 three-pointers in leading Glenwood with 19 points; Crowley had 14 and 8 rebounds. Holden Kleager, with 9 rebounds, and Luke Gair and Gabe Suarez with six each, helped the Demons dominate the boards, 41-16. Gair also scored 8 points, as did Aaron Smith and Gonzalez, who added five assists.
Glenwood can essentially wrap up the league title with a win Thursday at second-place Steamboat Springs (11-8, 6-2), though third-place Battle Mountain (11-8, 6-3) comes to Chavez-Spencer on Friday before the regular season ends with rival Rifle (2-17, 1-8) next Tuesday.
GLENWOOD GIRLS 53, SUMMIT COUNTY 40
When the Lady Demons (12-8, 7-2) traveled to Summit on January 20th, they trailed 7-6 after one quarter, then outscored the Tigers (5-16, 2-7), 25-10 in the next two periods, earning a 14-point win. This game began in similar fashion, tied at 6 as Glenwood shot just 2-of-17 while forcing a dozen Tiger turnovers in the first quarter.
Maddie Bolitho and Ellie Moser connected on back-to-back treys to open a six-point lead, but Summit fought back on a 3-point play by Anna Tomlinson and a jumper from Kassidy Pothier to close within one, 14-13 with 3:50 to go before halftime.
Then the Demon press, which forced seven Tiger miscues in the period, began to yield results. Tatum Peterson, who didn’t start after injuring an ankle in the win over Eagle February 1st, scored her first basket on a jumper, and Bolitho’s two free throws and 3-pointer ignited a 12-0 finish to the quarter. A pair of free throws by Qwynn Massie expanded the Demon lead to ten, 25-15, and Dani DeCrow lined a 3-pointer from the corner just before halftime.
Peterson found her shooting touch with six points in the third quarter and DeCrow and Moser each knocked down another trey as Glenwood outscored Summit 16-10 in the third quarter for a 44-25 lead, effectively wrapping up the Demons’ seventh straight league win after opening WSL play with two losses.
Nicole Kimball scored 18 of her game-high 19 points in the second half, including 10 in the final quarter, but no other Summit player scored more than one basket as the Tigers shot just 14-of-43 with 29 turnovers. DeCrow led Glenwood with 12 points, also grabbing five rebounds. Peterson matched that output on the boards, adding 10 points. Bolitho dished out 7 assists, while scoring 8 points and taking four steals. Moser scored 6 as did Ximena Gutierrez, who also pulled down 8 rebounds.
