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Moffat County’s C-teams host hoops event

Andy Bockelman
Moffat County High School's Jaci McDiffett makes her way toward the basket during the girls C-team's Saturday game against Coal Ridge. The girls beat the Titans, 34-23, as part of their weekend home tournament.
Andy Bockelman

While the varsity level teams were otherwise engaged on the road this weekend, the younger players of the Moffat County High School boys and girls basketball programs hit the court at home.

The MCHS C-teams hosted a Saturday tournament with visiting Steamboat Springs, Coal Ridge, Battle Mountain and Uintah High School.

The girls were 2-1 in the event, starting with an early morning win against Steamboat, 43-18, followed by a 37-27 defeat by Uintah, of Vernal, Utah. The squad found its rhythm again in the third round, topping New Castle’s Coal Ridge 34-23.



Both the boys and girls were scheduled to play Battle Mountain at the end of the afternoon, but a travel issue for the Edwards team forced a cancellation.

Jana Camilletti led the Lady Bulldogs in overall scoring, with 27 points across the three games, while Jaci McDiffett and Makenna Baker each notched 23 — 16 of Baker’s points came in the Steamboat game — and Josie Timmer got 16.



Coach Markie Green said her players are learning the skills of transitioning from offense to defense as well as mastering defensive strategies.

“Our strengths come when we’re able to pass up the court instead of just dribbling a lot,” she said.

During the tournament, players adjusted to a new game format of two 20-minute halves instead of the four eight-minute quarters, which Green said had benefits but also made for quicker games.

“You look up, and all of a sudden, it’s over,” she said.

The Bulldog boys had a tougher time throughout the tournament, losing narrowly to Steamboat, 28-22, then a greater loss to Uintah, 44-29.

“We came out with a lot of energy, but our defense wasn’t there,” player Mitchell Smith said after the Uintah game.

Combined with a loss in Oak Creek earlier in the week — where the girls also lost to Soroco — bouncing back hasn’t been easy after winter break, coach Nick Myers said.

“Too many turnovers is the biggest thing, but they’re really working on getting the ball around better,” he said.

The boys were able to finish the weekend on a high note, winning 39-21 against Coal Ridge, to claim a 1-2 record for the day.

Kaden Hafey commanded scoring with 21 points, followed by Smith and Aiden Wilmont with 15 apiece and 13 by Nick Pugh.

Athletics and Activities Director Mike Mitchell said he was pleased with how the tournament went, aside from some scheduling difficulties, in order to get the maximum amount of playing time for younger athletes.

“What we want to do with this is get as many kids out on the court as we can,” he said.

Contact Andy Bockelman at 970-875-1793 or abockelman@CraigDailyPress.com or follow him on Twitter @CDP_Sports.


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