Craig — Sometimes, it’s hard at the top.

At least, that what Moffat County girls basketball coach Craig Mortensen thinks.

“It’s going to be tough this weekend for us,” Mortensen said. “We are just plain better than the teams we are going to face this weekend.”

The Bulldogs (11-3, 4-1 Western Slope League) host Battle Mountain (3-9, 1-3 WSL) today, followed by a visit from Eagle Valley (2-10, 1-4 WSL) on Saturday.

Moffat County is coming off its highest offensive output of the season – 83 points at Delta – while the Huskies and Devils enter on four-game losing streaks.

The Bulldogs average almost as many points per game as the two teams combined.

“We have to try to make progress against two teams that won’t really challenge us, Mortensen said. “We have to stay away from bad habits when we play teams of their caliber and still try to get better.”

Mortensen gave the team Tuesday off, but he wrapped some tough practices around the break as well as utilizing some old game film as motivation.

“We watched some postseason game film of previous years on Monday,” Mortensen said. “I wanted them to see what we looked like when we lost so they won’t be complacent this weekend. They realized that they need to be mentally focused and not slip up.”

Mortensen said he’s looking forward to getting his bench some playing time, in an effort to shore up the team’s depth.

“It should give us an opportunity to see how others fit into the lineup,” he said. “If we can get our 8 and 9 players into the game, it should really benefit us in the long run. I think we should get a chance to get our reserves some quality minutes this weekend.”

John Vandelinder can be reached at 824-7031, ext. 211, or jvandelinder@craigdailypress.com