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Aspen boys b-ballers rout Olathe to advance

Jennifer Davoren
Aspen Times Staff Writer

The Aspen High boys basketball team cruised to an easy win in the first round of the district tournament last night, routing visiting Olathe 73-27.

But it might be the last “lay up” game the Skiers see for a while – tournament season has officially begun.

“It was a warmup for the next game coming,” said Skier senior Josh Lackey. “It’s going to be tough whoever we play from here on out.”



Tuesday, then, allowed Aspen some time to relax before the real competition heats up.

By the end of the first quarter, AHS led Olathe 21-4 thanks to three-pointers by seniors Nick Farrell and Brett Mufson. The Skiers built their lead to 33-10 by the half, with even performances from all five senior starters.




Though the Skiers had little trouble running up the score – there was even time to practice a little trick passing – players noted that Olathe became a bit frustrated as the game wound down.

“It’s kind of a little rivalry, actually,” Lackey said. “We beat them by a lot last time, and the coach wasn’t happy. They were throwing some cheap shots tonight – it got a little heated there at the end.”

Though Olathe threw out a few aggressive plays in the game’s second half, the visitors were only able to net 17 additional points.

AHS coach Steve Ketchum apparently played all 11 Skiers suited out for the game, lending to even scoring throughout the night. Farrell led scoring with 19 points, followed by Mufson with 13, Lackey with 10 and Ty Gartner with eight.

A win in this first round of districts earns the Skiers a game in next week’s regional tournament. However, like the AHS girls, the boys will travel to Palisade this weekend for the next bout of districts to determine their place in regional play.

And, like the girls, the boys will face a downvalley rival: Carbondale’s Roaring Fork High School.

The teams will face off at 6:30 p.m. Friday in Palisade. Win or lose, AHS will advance to tournament play on Saturday to determine their seeding for the regional tournament.