Aspen boys basketball beats Moffat in overtime; BHS splits
Kara Williams/courtesy
The first game following the winter break for the Aspen High School boys basketball team was something of a disaster, a 64-45 loss at Moffat County on Jan. 6. Barely two weeks later, the Skiers showed how far they’ve come with a 76-71 overtime win over those same Bulldogs on Saturday in Aspen.
“It was a great chance for us to see a little bit of growth,” AHS coach Alex Schrempf said. “We gradually started increasing our intensity, gradually increasing our standards from practice to game time. It’s starting to result in some progress and it’s good to see.”
The obvious difference between the two games would be the offense, with Aspen’s scoring output increasing dramatically. However, it was the tenacious defense that Schrempf credits with the improved offense.
“They still scored 62 today against us, but I will say our defense was far more energetic and it started there,” Schrempf said. “Our intensity on defense translated to a far better game offensively.”
Thanks to a late 3-pointer by Aspen’s Zack George, the teams went to overtime tied at 62. After some back-and-forth basketball, the Skiers were able to sneak away with their third straight win.
“It’s really fun to see as the guys start giving some of the stuff a chance, to see what it creates,” Schrempf said. “I want to credit A.J. Detrick and Noah Hollander for really coming through and providing us with sparks.”
Moffat County dropped to 3-10 overall with the loss. Aspen improved to 7-4 overall and will take the week off before playing at Olathe on Friday and at Gunnison the next day.
Also Saturday, the Aspen girls basketball team lost 55-14 to Moffat County. The Bulldogs won the Jan. 6 matchup 54-23. The loss comes a night after the Skiers (1-10) defeated Lake County for their first win of the season.
AHS hockey sees streak end
The Aspen High School hockey team was a 3-1 loser Saturday against visiting Cheyenne Mountain. After a scoreless first period, Cheyenne Mountain outscored the Skiers 2-1 in the second, Aspen’s goal coming from Conor O’Brien.
Another goal by the Indians early in the third was too much to make up.
The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for Aspen (4-6-1 overall), which next plays at Pine Creek on Friday. The two teams met as recently as Jan. 13, AHS winning 6-0.
Basalt splits with Delta
The Basalt High School boys basketball team didn’t let another long layoff slow it, beating Delta 64-31 on Saturday in Basalt. Playing for the first time since a 72-33 win Jan. 12 at Aspen, the Longhorns (9-1) rolled to their ninth-straight win, the only loss coming in the season opener.
The Basalt girls, who lost 61-25 at Delta in their first meeting on Dec. 8, showed vast improvement in a 53-45 loss to the Panthers on Saturday. BHS fell to 2-9 overall with the loss.
Both Basalt teams will hit the road next week, playing at Gunnison on Friday and at Cedaeredge Saturday.
