GLENWOOD SPRINGS — From worst to first in two years, thank you very much.

Two years ago, Eagle Valley boys basketball went 4-19 and managed just one league win in 14 tries. (For the trivially-inclined, the Devils beat Palisade on the road.)

With a 59-52 victory at Glenwood Springs Friday night, Eagle Valley's come all the way back. The Devils are 18-5 and co-champs of the 4A Slope.

“It's really awesome,” said Sam Lounsberry, now a junior, who was a freshman on that 4-19 team. “To be a part of a part of a team that went from four wins to league champs is pretty fun. We won one league game my freshman year. That was a struggle.”

At 10-2 in the Slope, Eagle Valley has won its first conference crown at the 4A level. It‘s the school's first basketball league title since 1999, when the Devils competed at 3A.

“We've grown every single game and during every practice,” Eagle Valley coach Brent McConaghy said. “It's been shedding the mental aspect of old Eagle Valley basketball and getting a new mindset. That is championship basketball. We demand and expect wins. We demand and expect perfection, and our guys have answered the call.”

Eagle Valley and Delta share the crown. The question is which school gets the league's top spot for the purposes of seeding — a first-round bye and the right of hosting a second-round game comes with the privilege. The Devils and Panthers split the season series and have same records against common league opponents.

Outside the league, both squads have beaten Central and Coal Ridge and lost to Montrose. For whatever it's worth, the Devils are 18-5 and have a better winning percentage than Delta at 17-5. CHSAA will announce the field Sunday afternoon.

However it pans out, the Devils were a happy bunch on the bus coming back from Glenwood and are playoff bound, regardless.

Eagle Valley earned its 18th win of the year with the traditional formula.

“Everybody sensed (a league title) early and we were a little tight,” McConaghy said. “Then we just started pushing the pace and everything else was solid. We forced 22 turnovers, and only committed seven.”

And that is a winning formula. Ayren Hart led the team with 19 points, while Tom Wells had 14.

“It feels good,” Lounsberry said. “That's one goal down. We're now looking at the next goal and that is the playoff game.”

Sports Editor Chris Freud can be reached at 970-748-2934 or cfreud@vaildaily.com.