Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — The Sailors girls basketball team must try to bounce back from a close loss when it meets the Moffat County Bulldogs at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Craig.

The Sailors, who are 6-3, fell to the Rifle Bears on Friday, 51-48. They were ahead late in the game, but a pair of free throws by Megan Langstaff in the final seconds sealed the win for the Bears.

The Sailors dropped to 2-1 in the conference.

The Bulldogs, who are led by seniors Emily Mortensen and Krystal Voorhees, are 2-0 in the league and 8-1 overall.

Moffat County last played against Palisade Jan. 6 and posted a 70-48 win.

Mortensen, a 5-foot-4 guard who averages more than 10 points per game, said the Bulldogs need to shut down the Sailors' inside game and try to out-hustle them.

Moffat County prides itself on its ability to run the court, Mortensen said.

"We have a very quick team, that's our main thing," Mortensen said. "We like to play defense, which is one of our strongest areas right now because we're so fast."

The Sailors, who are led by seniors Natalie Muth and Brienna Combs, have relied on defense to win games, too. Through nine games, they have held their opponents to an average of 39.9 points.

Combs leads the Sailors in scoring at 13.9 points per game, and Muth is averaging 10.7 points.

The Sailors, however, have not shot well recently. If they can make better shot selections and stay aggressive on the defensive end, however, the Sailors like their chances, Sailors coach Bruce Alston said.

"They've got a lot of talent on their team and we will have to continue our defensive intensity," Alston said. "It's anybody's game to be had or lost."