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Hayden girls basketball stumbles against Rangely

Joel Reichenberger

— Anyone looking for rhyme and reason in the weekend the Hayden girls basketball team experienced might be out of luck.

After two weeks of looking like one of the best teams in the Western Slope League and a day after extending a winning streak with the fourth lopsided win in a row, the Tigers stumbled at home against a Rangely squad coming off back-to-back losses.

Hayden, suddenly short on offense, lost Saturday, 42-33.



“This is going to do us some good. This is the level we have to play from here on out,” Hayden coach Michelle Wilkie said. “We have to take this and make it positive. … This was a reality check.”

Rangely never broke the game open but led most of the way by two points after one quarter and seven after the half. The Panthers were able to contain all of the weapons that on better days Hayden has been able to rely on, limiting touches for the Tigers’ two big posts and locking down the team’s outside shooters.



Senior Erin Koehler led Hayden with 16 points, but she scored half of that in the fourth quarter. Rangely’s Quincey Thacker, meanwhile, scored a game-high 20.

“They just played good defense,” Wilkie said. “They’re a good ball club.”

The loss, Hayden’s second in the league, takes some juice out of next weekend’s showdown at Paonia, which could have helped decide the league title. Instead, the Tigers, 9-4, will be playing to rebuild as the district tournament nears.

To reach Joel Reichenberger, call 970-871-4253 or email jreichenberger@SteamboatToday.com


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