Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — Steamboat Springs junior Gracie Stockdale said she and her team were nervous before their home-opening game Thursday night, their first action in the 10th annual Steamboat Shootout basketball tournament.

"Maybe too nervous," she said.

Too nervous?

It will take some serious convincing to explain that sentiment to Sailors fans. In fact, the team might want to bottle whatever emotions were coursing through the Sailors' veins before tipoff.

Steamboat was on fire throughout the game and routed Summit, 45-25, to advance to today's semifinal round of the eight-team tournament.

"We had so much adrenaline," Stockdale said, still beaming 20 minutes after the game. "Everyone was on, and we were aggressive the whole time."

The team was hot out of the gate, rushing to a 19-4 first-quarter lead. Few could come close to Stockdale, however. Nervous or not, she lit up Summit with nine first-quarter points. Scoring with ease from both the 3-point line and the free throw line, she finished with a game-high 26.

Stockdale and the Sailors never hurt for opportunities in the first half as a fierce full-court press ran the Tigers ragged.

Even when Summit made a half-hearted bid to get back into the game, closing to within seven points early in the second quarter, Steamboat turned the faucet back on. Brittany Long hammered home a 3-point shot. Stockdale followed it up with one of her own, then added three more free throws to set the halftime score at 28-14.

"That was fun," Steamboat coach John Ameen said. "A lot of it came from our press and from intense defense."

That defense has been Steamboat's go-to weapon early this season. After a miserable campaign a year ago, the Sailors are off to a 3-0 start and haven't given up more than 40 points yet.

"It's our trademark," Ameen said.

Ever the coach, even after the big home victory he was quick to identify several problems the team needs to fix fast if it's to advance to Saturday's championship game.

Steamboat will play at 6:20 p.m. against D'Evelyn, which beat Rock Canyon, 64-57.

"Tonight, we showed progress from the first week, and we have to show progress again against D'Evelyn," Ameen said. "We need to focus on our offensive intensity, and we have to execute better. We'll be playing a much quicker team."

Ameen might have been focused on the next game, but Stockdale wasn't so quick to let a great night go.

This is one she won't be forgetting any time soon.

"It was awesome," she said. "Winning isn't a feeling we're used to yet; we're so used to losing. This was huge for us.

"Sometimes, basketball feels like going to work. Tonight, it felt like playing a game."