Tigers boys fall in Wyoming

Hayden girls remain unbeaten

Monday, December 22, 2008

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Hayden girls basketball, 2008-09

Dec. 2, Hayden 54, Vail Christian 23; (1-0, 1-0)
Dec. 4, Hayden 58, Grand Valley 33 at Meeker Tournament; (2-0, 1-0)
Dec. 5, Hayden 49, Rangely 40 at Meeker Tournament; (3-0, 1-0)
Dec. 6, Hayden 59, North Park 37 at Meeker Tournament; (4-0)
Dec. 12, Hayden 73, Soroco 42; (5-0)
Dec. 13, Hayden 62, Rangely 44; (6-0)
Dec. 20, Hayden 48, Snake River 38; (7-0)
Jan. 9, Hayden 68, West Grand 43; (8-0)
Jan. 10 Hayden 66, Plateau Valley 44; (9-0)
Jan. 20, Hayden 53, Meeker 42; (10-0)
Jan. 23, Paonia 54, Hayden 49;(10-1)
Jan. 27, Hayden 66, Baggs 51;(11-1)
Jan. 30, Hayden 48, North Park 37;(12-1)
Jan. 31, Hayden 45, Rangely 42;(13-1)
Feb. 6, Hayden 50, Meeker 47;(14-1)
Feb. 7, Hayden 59, Vail Christian 22;(15-1)
Feb. 13, Hayden 55, Soroco 39;(16-1)
Feb. 14, Hayden 48, North Park 41;(17-1)

Hayden boys basketball, 2008-09

Dec. 2, Hayden 53, Vail Christian 51; (1-0, 1-0)
Dec. 5, Rangely 55, Hayden 52; (1-1, 1-0)
Dec. 11, Hayden 64, Altamont 55 at Meeker Tournament; (2-1, 1-0)
Dec. 12, Meeker 64, Hayden 46 at Meeker Tournament; (2-2)
Dec. 13, Hayden 57, Rangely 46 at Meeker Tournament; (3-2)(
Dec. 18, Hayden 63, Soroco 54; (4-2)
Dec. 20, Baggs, Wyo. 64, Hayden 43; (4-3)
Jan. 9, Hayden 59, West Grand 53; (5-3)
Jan. 10, Plateau Valley 59, Hayden 35; (5-4)
Jan. 17, Hayden 80, De Beque 50;(6-4)
Jan. 20, Meeker 56, Hayden 46;(6-5)
Jan. 23, Hayden 65, Paonia 33;(7-5)
Jan. 27, Hayden 64, Baggs 43;(8-5)
Jan. 30, Hayden 76, North Park 27;(9-5)
Jan. 31, Rangely 58, Hayden 53;(9-6)
Feb. 6, Meeker 73, Hayden 45;(9-7)
Feb 7, Hayden 43, Vail Christian 30;(10-7)
Feb. 13, Hayden 47, Soroco 42;(11-7)
Feb. 14, Hayden 76, North Park 42;(12-7)

Steamboat Springs — It wasn't just that his team lost that bothered Hayden boys basketball Mike Luppes after Saturday's game at Snake River High School in Baggs, Wyo. It was that the Tigers, in their 64-43 defeat, bore nearly nothing in common with the squad that won its biggest game of the season just two days prior against Soroco.

"Everything we did right on Thursday, we did the opposite on Saturday," Luppes said. "We were very disappointed."

Senior Zach Barnes led the team with 12 points, and Murphy Smartt supplied 10. It wasn't nearly enough to help the Tigers.

Hayden clung to a one-point lead after the first quarter, but quickly fell behind and trailed by nine at halftime.

Snake River continued to stretch the lead in the third and fourth quarters.

"We didn't play well. We got out-worked, out-hustled and out-coached. We got out-everythinged," Luppes said. "They schooled us on how to play basketball. They shot the ball well and executed everything well."

Hayden tried to close the gap with several small rallies in the second half, but never could sustain a push.

"We didn't play well in any facet of the game," Luppes said. "We didn't shoot well. We didn't rebound well, and we didn't play good defense. I give them a lot of credit. They took us out of what we wanted to do."

Saturday's defeat was the Tigers' last game until a Jan. 6 contest against Steamboat Springs High School's JV squad.

Hayden girls unbeaten

It may not have been pretty but the Hayden girls basketball team enter its two-week holiday break with an impressive 7-0 record. The Tigers defeated Snake River, 48-38, on Saturday.

"It was ugly," Tigers coach Eric Hamilton said about the victory. "I had no idea we'd have a ballgame at all. We only won by 10."

Hayden overcame a fourth-quarter deficit to win. Hayden senior Holli Salazar led the way with 21 points, and Kylee Sweetser added nine.

Hayden rallied and burst through a door Snake River left wide open with poor free-throw shooting. The team hit just two of its nine final-quarter attempts.

Still, there was little about the trip across the Wyoming state line that Hamilton enjoyed.

"We had a terrible week of practice and we were looking ahead to the Christmas break instead of thinking about Baggs," he said. "I didn't prepare the girls at all for this game. The whole week I was just preparing for a blowout. Sure won't do that again."

Hayden trailed, 36-35, at the start of the fourth quarter. A strong defensive performance in the fourth quarter from Caitlin Mahanna limited Snake River to just the two free throws.

"Mostly, we didn't shine at all," Hamilton said before assessing the bright side of winning an ugly game. "The girls are learning how, instead of losing a game, how to win one. They're figuring out ways to get it done, how to hang in there, fight until the end and come up with a W."

- To reach Joel Reichenberger, call 871-4253 or e-mail jreichenberger@steamboatpilot.com

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