Rams split with Panthers in afternoon tilt
The Roaring Fork girls, battling the Delta Panthers who were just one spot ahead of them in the Western Slope League standings, came up short in a key conference game, losing 53-36 Saturday in Carbondale.
Neither team came out able to hit consistently from the outside, but near the basket Emily Nortnik scored Delta’s first six points to stake the Panthers to a 14-6 early lead. The Panthers also got three baskets from Emily Baier during that initial run.
With Delta’s size inside, the Rams had many lob passes to forwards Cindy Salinas and Lyndsay Hansen tipped away, forcing Roaring Fork to try and hit from the perimeter. Senior guard Ashley Hall converted a jumper from the left corner for the Rams, but many of the other outside tries were off the intended mark as Delta held a 23-14 lead at halftime.
“We’re capable of hitting those shots,” Roaring Fork Head Coach Jade Bath said. “The kids have been a bit sick this week and we had a late night getting back from Gunnison yesterday, but all teams go through this. Now it’s time to get back to work on Monday.”
Outscoring Roaring Fork 12-6 in the third quarter of play, Delta held a 35-20 lead entering the game’s final stages as baskets by Saydee Culver and Aubrey Jones helped to propel the Panthers.
The Rams did get three-pointers from seniors Lily Ramos and Hall early in the fourth quarter, but Nortnik — despite sitting out much of the third period with four fouls — made up for lost time as she hit for 10 points on her way to a game-high 21 points for Delta.
Salinas was the leading scorer for Roaring Fork with 11 points.
For the Rams (7-9, 3-4 WSL) the conference matchups don’t get any easier as they will host Cedaredge next Friday night, February 17.
ROARING FORK 54, DELTA 42
In the boys portion of Saturday’s double feature in Carbondale, Roaring Fork looked every bit the part of a district tourney contender as the Rams (12-4, 5-2 WSL) got balanced scoring throughout the lineup en route to a 54-42 league victory against Delta.
Junior Justin Thompson got Roaring Fork on the board initially, scoring his team’s first five points, but it was the second period of pla in which the Rams outscored the Panthers 14-6 that got the tide flowing in their favor.
With sophomore Joe Salinas grabbing rebounds, and scoring contributions from Ronald Clemente, Jassiel Petatan, and Lorenzo Andrade, Roaring Fork was able to gain a 27-19 edge on their opponents dressed in green in the first 16 minutes of play.
Delta guard Blake Reiter made sure the Rams momentum was short lived though, as he hit two three-pointers and a breakaway layup to bring the Panthers back to tie the game at 27-all before the fans had settled back into their seats following halftime.
After a quick timeout by Roaring Fork coach Larry Williams, Thompson hit a free throw and senior Aldo Pinela leaped for a rebound and a putback score to give the lead back to the Rams at 30-27.
Thankfully for Roaring Fork, getting outscored 10-3 in the third quarter didn’t prove to be their undoing as Thompson and Salinas scored, and Petatan hit a three-pointer and a layup to give the Rams a 39-33 lead.
With Delta forced to foul late in the contest, Roaring Fork marched to the line, hitting free throws to put the game on ice and send the Rams to victory with one weekend left to play in the regular season Western Slope League schedule.
Petatan and Pinela each scored 14 points for the Rams, with Thompson and Salinas contributing 12 and eight points, respectively.
Start a dialogue, stay on topic and be civil.
If you don't follow the rules, your comment may be deleted.