Winless through their first 10 games, the Montezuma-Cortez High School girls basketball team can take solace in two facts: Players are improving, and the group continues to play hard.
Panthers fall to Fruita
Matching up against Fruita-Monument on Jan. 17, the Panthers battled for 40 minutes, yet proved to be no match for the Wildcats, falling 44-17.
Leading the way for the Panthers was junior Katrina Lee, who, with two three-pointers, scored a team-high six points.
“She has an unorthodox shot, but she provides a good spark off the bench,” said Panthers coach John McHenry. “She rallies us and gets us going. She’s my shooter.”
Also turning in a solid performance for the Panthers was junior Kelcia Ralstin, who, looking vastly improved in the post, pulled down several rebounds and scored 3 points.
“(Ralstin) is just coming on every game,” said McHenry. “She’s starting to feel what it takes to be inside.”
Defeated by Grand Junction Central
The Panthers returned to action on Jan. 18 and fell 46-36 to Grand Junction Central.
Getting off to their best starts of the season, the Panthers jumped out to a 3-0 early lead after a free throw by sophomore Yannibah Bayles and a runner by sophomore Simone Lopez.
Central would battle back however, using a 12-0 run to seize control before entering the second quarter with a 12-5 lead.
Playing with energy in the second quarter, the Panthers received points from six players and entered the half trailing 19-18.
Key in the second quarter was the up-tempo play of sophomore Kiselya Plewe, who, by pushing the pace, allowed the Panthers to score several easy buckets.
Stymied throughout the third quarter and bothered by several disputed calls, the Panthers were outscored 12-3 and entered the fourth trailing 31-21.
Although M-CHS continued to play hard, the deficit proved too much to overcome as the Panthers dropped to 0-10 on the year.