Sierra Grande drops

heartbreaker, 33-32



By DAVID MEJIA

TRINIDAD — Playoff basketball is a battle and a great deal of strategy makes the games that much more intense and fun.

Such was the case for Creede’s Aaron Christensen. The eighth-year head coach for the Miners boys’ basketball team had a fine game plan against Karval on Saturday. The Trojans are a run-and-gun type of team and Christensen decided to play the game at a pace more suitable for his team.

“They really like to run and gun, so we wanted to slow the tempo way down because we didn’t want to get into a running game with them,” Christensen said. “We had slowed the ball game down, walked the ball down the court and made them get into a half-court game.”

The strategy paid off handsomely. Creede was able to dictate the pace of the contest for the most part and kept Karval from pushing the basketball and creating havoc for the Miners.

The Trojans were still able to get their looks, but were limited to second chance opportunities. The Miners managed to get their share of good looks as well, making the most of their chances in the meantime.

Tyler Stroh led Creede with 16 points, while John Whitmore added 11. Damien Trow’s nine points all came from beyond the arc. Cameron Nelson chipped in eight points for the Miners.

Creede forged a slim 9-7 lead after the first quarter, but Karval was able to tie the game at 21 all by halftime. The Miners actually trailed by five points in the first half until Damien Trow canned a pair of three-point goals to bring his team back.

“I think we had a little momentum going into halftime,” Christensen admitted. “Their game plan was to dribble-drive and kick it out for their shooters. We had to definitely make some adjustments at halftime to deal with their penetration”

Despite its offensive aggressiveness, Karval only shot five free throws in the first half. Creede was able to maintain its poise and get good rebounding position throughout the half.

Karval started the second half in a zone defense, but Creede still managed to get good looks at the hoop. Trow, Stroh and Whitmore each hit a three-pointer in the second half against the Trojans’ zone defense.

The Miners were able to outscore the Trojans 28-24 in the second half, but had to work hard to do it. Creede was able to hold off a furious rally by Karval in the final minute. The Miners’ Alvaro Winkler hit a big bucket underneath with 25 second remaining to five the Miners a 48-45 advantage. Stroh connected on one of two free throws shortly thereafter to ice the game.

Creede will face Ouray in the first round of the Class 1A state basketball tournament. The Miners and the Trojans will tip off at 1:15 p.m.at the Colorado State Fair Events Center in Pueblo on Thursday.



Eads 33,

Sierra Grande 32



LA JUNTA — The Sierra Grande boys’ basketball team came up one basket shy of advancing to the Class 1A state basketball tournament. The Panthers struggled offensively in the second half and it ultimately cost them an opportunity for a state berth.

The Panthers owned a 25-20 halftime lead, but managed to score only one point in the third period.

“In the second half it just became a defensive battle,” Sierra Grande head coach Matt Lucero said. “We had shots, but they just didn’t go in for us.”

It was a story of two halves for the most part. Eads controlled the tempo in the first half and Sierra Grande was in charge in the second. The only problem for the Panthers was they were snake bit in that the ball wouldn’t go into the basket.

“We had our opportunities in the last minute,” Lucero said. “We had the ball with wide open lay-ups, but we turned the ball over. We had the chance, but we just didn’t convert.”

The Panthers won the fourth quarter 6-4, but neither team was able to break away due to the defense’s success. Eads was able to score nine points in the third period to forge a 39-26 lead at the end of three quarters.

Eads’ Taylor Reed led all scorers with 16 points, while Sierra Grande’s Tyler Barela paced the Panthers with 11 points and Gabriel Perez added nine. Christain Delgado and Jake Robbins chipped in seven and four points, respectively.