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Moffat County hoops split Saturday at Steamboat Shootout

Bulldog girls take 3rd, boys 8th in tourney; teams hosting Sailors for Friday games

Andy Bockelman
Moffat County High School's Josey King rushes in for a layup during the Saturday girls basketball game against Discovery Canyon. MCHS girls won, 39-32, to finish third in the Steamboat Shootout.
Andy Bockelman

A narrow win and a shorthanded loss were in store for Moffat County High SchoolMoffat County High School basketball teams during the final round Saturday at the Steamboat Springs Shootout, but while results may have differed, both Bulldog coaches are seeing their players stay resilient. basketball teams during the final round Saturday at the Steamboat Springs Shootout, but while results may have differed, both Bulldog coaches are seeing their players stay resilient.

Moffat County High School basketball teams during the final round Saturday at the Steamboat Springs Shootout, but while results may have differed, both Bulldog coaches are seeing their players stay resilient.

MCHS girls placed third at the Steamboat Shootout with a 39-32 win against Colorado Springs’ Discovery Canyon. The Lady Dogs were eager to avenge their first defeat the night before at the hands of Eagle Valley and came out quickly against the Thunder.

While Moffat County girls led most of the game — getting in front thanks to a second quarter rally — the Thunder had a booming fourth quarter that nearly turned into a comeback, coming within one point of catching up at 33-32 within the last 90 seconds of the game.



Fortunately, timely free throw accuracy saved the day for MCHS as Alex Hamilton and Jana Camilletti hit a combined six of six foul shots in the final minute to keep the advantage.

Camilletti led the game in points at 12, as well as the team overall throughout the three-day tourney at 31, followed by Josey King’s 20 and Alex Hamilton’s 15.



“I think the way they bounced back from last night shows some real character for those girls,” said coach Kenley Nebeker.

MCHS girls improve to 5-1 overall, 2-1 in the Shootout.

At six feet, five inches, Discovery Canyon’s Ashten Prechtel was one of the tallest players in the tournament male or female, and though taller Moffat County players like Brooke Gumber and Makenna Baker gave her a match, she proved a threat beneath the bucket.

Baker was also nursing a hand injury from the Eagle Valley game but said she was able to rely on teammates to press forward for the win.

“Working as a team, settling down on offense,” Baker said, listing the keys to the win.

Earlier in the day, MCHS boys faced off against Montrose in the seventh-place game, falling, 68-36, to the Indians with a sparse bench.

Justin Dugan led the Dogs in scoring Saturday at 12 points, his 26 total points during the Shootout second only to Brent Cook’s 34.

Tying Keenan Hildebrandt in tournament scoring, Kasen Brennise racked up 18 points over three days, six on Saturday.

“Montrose had a better shot selection than ours,” he said. “They took good shots and hit those good shots, and we struggled to get on offense.”

With upperclassmen undergoing college testing as well as most of JV in Meeker, coach Eric Hamilton had only seven to send in for the morning against the 4A Montrose squad.

He noted that sophomores Torin Reed, Carter Severson, Cale Scranton and Colby Beaver have been invaluable additions to a varsity group still finding cohesion, 0-3 during the tournament and 1-5 overall.

“They’re thrown into it, and I thought they did a really good job,” he said. “We got beat handily by three really good teams, but in the long run, it’ll do us better preparing us for our league. We played some outstanding defenses, great offenses, and we’ve gotta use it to build for 3A ball.”

MCHS hoops will host its first home games this Friday, non-conference events against Steamboat’s JV and varsity teams starting at 3 p.m.

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


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