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Moffat County High School’s basketball teams will be back in Craig Saturday, but first they have to take on Olathe High School Friday.

The 6 (girls) and 7:30 (boys) p.m. games in Olathe will be another set of important ones, and likely will be one of the the toughest games of the regular season for the girls team.

Tough league test in Olathe for Lady Bulldogs

Olathe’s girls team is the defending Western Slope League champions, and looked the part when they came to Craig in December for a league game. They held a four point lead at halftime, but Moffat County imposed its will in the second half for a 43-33 win.

Since then, the Pirates have not lost a league game, and are a half game ahead of Moffat County (8-1) in the WSL standings at 9-1. The winner Friday will therefore have a stranglehold on the league championship.

Olathe is led by Haley Turley, a senior averaging 16 points per game this season. She scored 15 in the first matchup with Moffat County, but played limited minutes in the second half.

The Bulldogs were led by Kyleen Ellgen in the previous matchup, who scored 15 points as well. Both teams finished with over 20 turnovers.

Bulldog Boys need to keep winning

Moffat County’s boys team should face less resistance from their Pirate counterparts, but a win is still important to keep pace in the league.

The Bulldogs still sit a game behind Roaring Fork in the WSL, and are awaiting a Feb. 16 rematch with the Rams. In the meantime, they will need to keep winning, including four road games starting Friday in Olathe.

Olathe’s boys varsity team is 4-9 on the season and has fallen to 3-7 in WSL play since losing to Moffat County in Craig Dec. 21. They have gone 2-6 overall since falling to the Bulldogs, 59-32.

Olathe is one of the lower scoring teams in the WSL, not having reached 50 points in a game this season. They are led by senior Tanner Vernon, averaging 12.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game this season.

In the first meeting, Tyler Davis and Matt Hamilton combined for 27 points, as the Bulldogs scored 25 points in the fourth quarter to push a 12-point game out of reach.

Moffat County will host Gunnison Saturday in the MCHS gym, at 4 and 5:30 p.m.

Nate Waggenspack can be reached at 875-1795 or nwaggenspack@craigdailypress.com. Follow the games on Twitter at @CDP_Sports