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January 2008
Montrose boys come to Grand Junction short-handed
The Montrose High School boys basketball team will be without its leading scorer, Jonathan Harshman, for Friday’s game at Grand Junction High School.
Harshman, the subject of a criminal investigation in Montrose, was indefinitely suspended from the basketball team. He was averaging close to 13 points per game this season.
“It’s still going through the legal system, so I don’t know if he will be back on the team,” Indians coach Dwight Rawlings said.
“I don’t even think the school administration knows what’s going to happen at this point.”
Freshman Niko Youngren has taken Harshman’s spot as starting point guard. Rawlings said he is also working with senior Jeremy Jones on playing some time at the point.
Grand Junction (12-2, 2-0 Southwestern League) will enter Friday’s game with a four-game win streak. Montrose (10-4, 1-1) has won five of six with the only loss in that stretch coming last weekend at home against Durango.
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RMAC is well-balanced
Western State College’s 56-52 victory over the Mesa State College men’s basketball team is one example why the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference is truly a free-for-all title race this season.
The Mountaineers first victory over Mesa State since 1998-99 moved them into a two-way tie for third place with the Mavericks in the RMAC West Division.
After Colorado Christian (10-6, 8-1 RMAC) and Fort Lewis (13-3, 8-1 RMAC), there are eight teams within two games of each other for six RMAC tournament spots.
The usual front runners, Metro State (11-9, 4-5 RMAC) and Nebraska-Kearney (7-10, 5-4 RMAC), are two of those teams in that mix.
Colorado State University-Pueblo (6-10, 3-6 RMAC), Colorado School of Mines (9-10, 2-7 RMAC) and the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs (6-11, 2-7 RMAC) are close behind as well.
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Central showcases its wealth of talent
The only thing more impressive than the 45-point margin by which the Central High School girls basketball team defeated Fruita Monument on Friday night was the fact that the Warriors’ youngsters seem to have turned a corner.
Everybody knew sophomore forward Amy Kame would likely develop into the best player in the Southwestern League, so it was no surprise that she had 27 points, 10 steals and eight rebounds.
But sophomores — Ashley Paul (3 points), Stacey Kinnett (4 rebounds), Tayler Else (7 points), Haleigh Higgins (4 points) and Maddilyn Vana (1 point)— freshman Mikayla Duffy (5 points) and junior Karen Hayter (7 points) were the ones outplaying the Wildcats’ starters in the fourth quarter, when the Warriors went on a 20-6 burst.
It’s a good sign that Central (10-3), ranked No. 8 in The Rocky Mountain News’ Class 5A state rankings, should be good for years to come.
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It wasn’t 90, but it was a win
For the first time since making a starting lineup change, the Mesa State College men’s basketball team failed to put 90 points on the scoreboard.
The Mavericks didn’t even score 70 points, but they did shoot better than 50 percent in defeating Regis 68-57 in a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference game on Saturday night at Brownson Arena. Mesa State (8-6, 5-2 RMAC) remains undefeated since moving Andre Carter into the starting lineup and Ryan Mathews to the bench.
Mathews hasn’t complained. He led the Mavericks with 16 points against Regis and is averaging 16.3 points since the switch. The junior guard was averaging 12.2 points per game before the change.
“It’s a lot different seeing how the game is going off the bench,” Mathews said. “It’s working out though.”
It is the first time all season Mesa State has won three consecutive games.
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Regis victory monumental
When Brittany Fowler signed a national letter of intent to Mesa State College, she saw should be facing a high school nemesis again in the Lopez twins at Regis University.
Diana and Denise Lopez led Adams City High School to a Colorado Class 4A state girls basketball title over Fowler and the Longmont Trojans. Still, Fowler, who was a twin sister also, hoped college would be different.
Instead, the Lopez twins and Regis defeated the Mavericks every time the teams met since Fowler became a Maverick. The streak reached seven games.
The Lopez twins graduated, but Fowler and the Mavericks were still hungry for a victory against the three-time RMAC champions.
This time, Mesa State tasted success, defeating Regis 95-78 at Brownson Arena.
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Central’s Ritter to sign with Neosho C.C.
Central High School shortstop Mick Ritter will sign a national letter of intent to play for Neosho Community College of Chanute, Kan.
The signing will be at Central’s library at 11 a.m. on Jan. 22.
Ritter was one of the top leadoff hitters in the Southwestern League last spring. He hit .339 and scored over 20 runs.
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Heaps epiphany could be big
Jim Heaps may have given his team off a week for the Christmas break, but that didn’t mean he took time off from coaching.
The Mesa State College men’s basketball coach decided he needed to shake things up a bit after a winless trip to California that dropped the Mavericks below .500 for the first time this season.
Heaps realized the Mavericks weren’t getting a big scoring boost off the bench like they have in previous years, so he decided to move junior guard Ryan Mathews to the bench.
Mathews, who was averaging 12.1 points a game at the time, has scored 16 and 17 points in the two games since coming off the bench.
It has led to more offensive production. Mesa State (7-6, 4-2 RMAC) has scored more than 90 points and shooting better than 50 percent in the two games since the change.
More importantly, the Mavericks are 2-0 going into tonight’s game against Regis.
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Mesa women playing with confidence
At times, the Mesa State College women’s basketball team has come out playing with confidence and aggression.
When the Mavericks (5-9, 3-3 RMAC) do, they have more often won than not. That was the case Friday night in a 68-52 victory over the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs. It was Mesa’s second consecutive victory and it gives the Mavs a chance to finish above .500 against the RMAC East Division for the first time since 2003-04.
“At Mines (last week), we got up early,” Mesa senior Brittany Fowler said. “(Friday), we wanted to do the same thing. It was exciting being home. We wanted to show our fans what kind of team we are.
“We’re doing a great job playing together. The returning players know what to expect and have bought into what we are doing. It shows in the stats.”
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Hensley to miss time for Fruita Monument
Fruita Monument High School basketball coach Dave Fox said that senior forward Nick Hensley will miss at least the next two weeks with what he believes is a strained patella tendon.
Hensley has battled ACL problems with his knee in the past, but Fox said the pain Hensley is feeling now is unrelated to the ACL.
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Well deserved
Several closers bring more than a mean pitch to the mound these days. They bring a mean, intimidating look. Boston Red Sox’s Jonathan Papelbon lowers his head and stares down opposing batters, but Goose Gossage was the first closer to bring an intimidating look and defined the position.
Gossage was finally recognized for it by being elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday. When he found out he was elected, you could see he was genuinely touched.
I’ve had an opportunity to meet and interview Gossage when he was in Grand Junction a few years ago to watch one of his sons play in the Junior College World Series.
Although Gossage appeared mean on the mound, he is the kindest professional athlete I’ve ever met. He is the only professional athlete I’ve met and interviewed that told me where he was staying and invited me to call him anytime I wanted to speak with him and I believed him.
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The week ahead
There are several big games this week on the high school hardwood for Western Slope fans to keep an eye on.
In boys’ action….
Grand Junction (9-2) can exceed its win total from all of last season (9-10) with a victory Friday against Castle View at Castle Rock.
Palisade (7-2) will be a favorite to win three league games this week. The Bulldogs host Delta (2-2) on Tuesday night in the Class 4A Western Slope League opener for both schools. Palisade also will host Battle Mountain (1-6) on Friday before traveling to Eagle Valley (1-5) on Saturday. There is a chance the Bulldogs could be riding a five-game winning streak heading into a huge home game against defending league champion Steamboat Springs on Jan. 19.
Coal Ridge (4-1, 1-0) could have a five-game winning streak by the end of the weekend. The Titans host Class 3A Western Slope League rivals Cedaredge (1-4) and Gunnison (3-2) on Friday and Saturday. With only a 13-26 record in its previous two seasons and a high of seven wins in the brief history of the school, Coal Ridge is on pace to have a memorable season.
Grand Valley (5-1) could extend its win streak to six straight games with victories over Rangely (5-3) and Nucla (1-2) on Friday and Saturday.
The 4A WSL favorites will tangle Saturday. Defending league champion Steamboat Springs (6-2) will host Glenwood Springs (5-2). The winner will have the early advantage in winning the league crown.
In girls’ action,
Grand Valley (7-0) will be a favorite to keep its undefeated season alive against Rangely (2-5) and Nucla (1-4) on Friday and Saturday. The Cardinals have already beaten Rangely (54-30) once this season at the Meeker Shootout.
Resurgent Coal Ridge (5-2, 0-1) will look for its first 3A WSL league victory against Cedaredge (0-5) and Gunnison (1-4) on Friday and Saturday, both home games.
The two top 4A WSL teams — Glenwood Springs (6-2) and Moffat County (7-2) — will tangle at Glenwood on Friday.
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