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Moffat County boys basketball downs Basalt, 56-32, at home

Bulldogs still undefeated in league play

Andy Bockelman
Moffat County High School senior Matt Hamilton fends off Basalt's Michael Glen as he looks to pass inside during the Bulldogs' boys varsity basketball game Friday night. The boys won, 56-32, to remain undefeated at 4-0 in the 3A Western Slope League.
Andy Bockelman

It can be lonely at the top, but the Moffat County High School boys varsity basketball team doesn’t have to worry about that when they’re in their own gym.

The first home game of the season was a solid one for the boys, who beat Basalt, 56-32, to go to 4-0 and remain tied for first place in the 3A Western Slope League.

The Bulldogs took some time getting into the groove back on their own floor. Both they and the Longhorns had a hard time cracking zero at first, and though Basalt was the first to score, once the boys settled down and sank some shots, they never looked back, taking the lead, 20-7, in the first quarter.



A 32-14 halftime result with the boys in blue in white still in front kept spirits high for the already excited crowd, still jazzed by a tremendous win by the girls earlier in the evening.

Bulldog basketball returned just the way spectators remembered it, complete with the MCHS band and cheerleaders, as well as a new announcer, football coach Keith Gille, and special contests such as the Chuck-a-Duck — as competitors tossed rubber duckies into a dog collar at center court in hopes of a prize — and a free throw event for kids of all ages.



The atmosphere was electric as the players came back out to finish up the night. The third quarter saw Moffat County outscore Basalt, 10-7, to make it 45-21, followed by a final round of play with both teams scoring 11.

Coach Eric Hamilton said the squad’s shooting was a recurring problem throughout the game, as he thought they could have played tighter overall.

“Maybe we just come out a little too pumped up, but we’ll take the W,” he said.

Though a lot of “little buckets” as the coach referred to them were off target, five threes made up for some faulty layups, and the forceful rebounding never gave the Longhorns a chance with the MCHS boys jumping and bumping like they were in a mosh pit looking for second- and third-chance points.

Senior Joe Camilletti led scoring with 14 points, while senior Tyler Davis took 10, followed by Dylan Kincade with nine.

The team is 6-3 overall and will be forced to defend the honor of top team in the league in the next week, with games against the WSL’s biggest contenders, Roaring Fork and Grand Valley, the latter sharing the first-place distinction with MCHS after knocking the former from the perch Friday night.

“We’ve got a good week of practices coming up, three days and a day off because of wrestling on Tuesday,” said Coach Hamilton. “We’ll get it done.”

Eric’s son, Matt, said he is looking forward to meeting with Grand Valley in Craig in the first of their two scheduled matches and hopes the fans will be as big a benefit as they were against Basalt.

“We’ve just got to get out there and play that Moffat County basketball,” Matt said.

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


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