Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — Steamboat Springs High School starts its 2000 hoops season Friday as the Sailors' varsity girls and boys basketball teams travel to Carbondale to compete at the Roaring Fork Tourney.
Both teams begin their seasons against the West Grand Mustangs, who will make the trip to Carbondale from Kremmling.
The Sailors girls team takes the court at 3:30 p.m., followed by the boys team, which plays at 5 p.m.
Win or lose Friday, the Steamboat teams will play another game Saturday.
The girls championship game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. while the boys championship game is scheduled for 7 p.m. The winners of Friday's games will be in Saturday's championships.
Four teams will compete in the boys and girls tournaments, including West Grand, Roaring Fork, Glenwood Springs and Steamboat Springs. Glenwood Springs and Roaring Fork will battle each other Friday.
Friday's losers in the boys tournament will meet one another at 4 p.m. Saturday. The losing teams in the girls tournament will square off at 2:30 p.m.
Both Sailors teams have excellent opportunities to win their tournaments. The boys team returns four of its starters from 1999 and enters Carbondale as the defending champions of last year's tournament. The girls team won its season-opening tournament at Rifle last year and returns first-team all-conference post player Brienna Combs.
Starting for the boys at the wing positions are seniors Ryan Kiely and Andrew Johnston and junior Jeff Aragon. Seniors Rusty Eck and Danny Weber will fill the posts.
Sailors girls coach Bruce Alston says 17 of his players, including junior varsity members, will make the trip to Carbondale. At least 10 of those players are expected to see action.
Kelly Meek, who has a 72.8 career-win percentage, enters his 26th year as head boys coach. Last year, the Sailors boys finished 13-7 overall and shared the conference championship.
Alston, who begins his seventh season as coach of the girls, looks to build on last year's third-place league finish. The girls were 9-7 overall in 1999.
"There's always a lot to learn early in the season, but the girls are feeling confident," Alston said. "We're really looking forward to starting off the season on a positive note."

To reach Eric Rineer call 871-4229 or e-mail erineer@amigo.net