Sailors take aim at Bears

Basketball teams return to action tonight

By Luke Graham

Friday, February 13, 2009

Share this Email, Facebook, Twitter
Discuss Comment

Steamboat Springs girls basketball, 2008-09

Dec. 5, Steamboat 57, Roaring Fork 40 at Roaring Fork Tournament; (1-0)
Dec. 6, Steamboat 63, Basalt 38 at Roaring Fork Tournament; (2-0)
Dec. 11, Steamboat 45, Summit 25 at Steamboat ShootOut tournament; (3-0)
Dec. 12,D'Evelyn 74, Steamboat 37 at Steamboat ShootOut tournament; (3-1)
Dec. 13, Green River, Wyo., 63, Steamboat 33 at Steamboat ShootOut tournament; (3-2)
Dec. 18, Star Valley, Wyo. 49, Steamboat 45 at Flaming Gorge Classic basketball tournament; (3-3)
Dec. 19, Green River, Wyo. 72, Steamboat 52 at Flaming Gorge Classic basketball tournament; (3-4)
Dec. 20, Rock Springs, Wyo. 69, Steamboat 29 at Flaming Gorge Classic basketball tournament; (3-5)
Jan. 9, Steamboat 47, Battle Mountain 27; (4-5, 1-0))
Jan. 10, Eagle Valley 41, Steamboat 39; (4-6, 1-1)
Jan. 16, Palisade 41, Steamboat 37; (4-7, 1-2)
Jan. 17, Steamboat 51, Delta 42; (5-7, 2-2)
Jan. 23, Rifle 57, Steamboat 53;(5-8, 2-3)
Jan. 24, Glenwood 57, Steamboat 48;(5-9, 2-4)
Jan. 27, Moffat County 55, Steamboat 48;(5-10, 2-5)
Feb. 6, Palisade 55, Steamboat 48;(5-11, 2-6)
Feb. 7, Delta 70, Steamboat 61;(5-12, 2-7)
Feb. 10, Steamboat 63, Eagle Valley 39;(6-12, 3-7)
Feb. 13, Rifle 53, Steamboat 45;(6-13, 3-8)
Feb. 14, Glenwood Springs 76, Steamboat 40;(6-14, 3-9)
Feb. 17 vs. Moffat County, 6 p.m.
Feb. 20 at Battle Mountain, 6 p.m.
Feb. 24 state playoffs begin

Steamboat Springs boys basketball, 2008-09

Dec. 5, Steamboat 48, Roaring Fork 34 at Roaring Fork Tournament; (1-0)
Dec. 6, Steamboat 53, Basalt 36 at Roaring Fork Tournament; (2-0)
Dec. 11, Castle View 57, Steamboat 38 at Steamboat ShootOut tournament; (2-1)
Dec. 12, Steamboat 70, Summit 41 at Steamboat ShootOut tournament; (3-1)
Dec. 13, Green River, Wyo., 68, Steamboat 41 at Steamboat ShootOut tournament; (3-2)
Dec. 18, at Flaming Gorge Classic basketball tournament; (3-3)

Dec. 19, Evanston, Wyo. 49, Steamboat 37 at Flaming Gorge Classic basketball tournament; (3-4)
Dec. 20, Cheyenne East 41, Steamboat 38 at Flaming Gorge Classic basketball tournament; (3-5)
Jan. 9, Steamboat 46, Battle Mountain 23; (4-5)
Jan. 10, Steamboat 55, Eagle Valley 30; (5-5)
Jan. 16, Steamboat 78, Palisade 46; (6-5)
Jan. 17, Steamboat 66, Delta 37; (7-5)
Jan. 23, Steamboat 65, Rifle 38; (8-5)
Jan. 24, Steamboat 47, Glenwood Springs 45; (9-5)
Jan. 27, Steamboat 44, Moffat County 32;(10-5)
Jan. 30, Steamboat 63, Eagle Valley 41;(11-5)
Feb. 6, Steamboat 50, Palisade 44;(12-5)
Feb. 7, Steamboat 54, Delta 43;(13-5)
Feb. 13, Steamboat 54, Rifle 45;(14-5)
Feb. 14, Glenwood Springs 61, Steamboat 51;(14-6)
Feb. 17 vs. Moffat County, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 20 at Battle Mountain, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 25 state playoffs begin

It would be hard for the Steamboat Springs High School boys basketball team to accomplish what it wants to Saturday without taking care of business today.

Certainly, it would be human nature to look past a 7:30 p.m. contest with Rifle High School today and focus on Saturday's 5:30 p.m. game at Glenwood Springs High School. With two wins this weekend - or just one against Glenwood - Steamboat would put itself in position to wrap up its third consecutive Western Slope League title. Although Glenwood Springs, currently second in the league, obviously poses the bigger challenge, Steamboat coach Luke DeWolfe is urging his players not to look past 6-12 Rifle.

"Like I told the guys, it's just a matter of us understanding (that) what we do against Rifle dictates a lot of the stuff we can do against Glenwood," DeWolfe said. "A lot of the things we want to do against Rifle are what we want to against Glenwood. We have to understand, it's for a league title Friday night. It's that important, and our intensity needs to be there."

As Steamboat (13-5 overall, 10-0 in league) found out last week in closer-than-expected games at Palisade and Delta, the team is going to get every team in the league's best shot, each night. DeWolfe said it will be instrumental to get off to a fast start against Rifle and not allow the Bears to remain in the game.

Although the coach wouldn't look too far ahead to Saturday's game, he said he does expect a battle like the first time Steamboat and Glenwood hooked up - a 47-45 Sailors win in overtime.

"We've talked about it, and it really is a big thing for us to control our own destiny and not have to play a numbers game and hope for other teams to win or lose," he said. "If we win out, we determine our own destiny and playoff situation. We have to keep winning and keep doing the things we've been doing."

Girls look to build on win

It didn't take Steamboat Springs High School girls basketball coach John Ameen long to figure out how to spend the first half of practice on Wednesday.

Coming off the team's best performance of the year, a 63-39 win at Eagle Valley on Tuesday, Ameen sat the girls down and watched the tape of the first half.

"This is what we're capable of," Ameen said.

Now, the task is to play the same type of game at 6 p.m. today at home against Rifle and at 4 p.m. Saturday at Glenwood Springs.

While Rifle and Glenwood are two of the top-three teams in the league, Ameen knows Steamboat (6-12 overall, 3-7 in league) has every chance to be competitive.

All he has to do is look at the teams' first meetings of the year. Steamboat fell to Rifle, 57-53, in overtime and lost to Glenwood, 55-48.

Steamboat had ample opportunities to win both games.

"It's that we should have beat them and that we can beat them," Ameen said. "We should be fine if we put ourselves in position to win the game. If we play like we did and make a couple adjustments, then we should have the chance to win."

Steamboat Pilot & Today