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Battle Mountain topples Aztec, N.M., 75-51

Ian Cropp

PAGOSA SPRINGS – The Battle Mountain boys basketball team had a bit of a conquest Friday night.The Huskies used some sharp shooting to beat Aztec, N.M, 75-51, in the the Wolf Creek Classic at Pagosa Springs.At halftime, the Huskies led, 41-35, but surged ahead in the third quarter to take a 65-42 lead.”The biggest thing that kept them in the game was putting them to the free throw line,” said Battle Mountain coach Phil Tronsrue. “They were 13-of-16 from the line in the first half, but we quit putting them to the line in the second half, and took control.”Leading the way for Battle Mountain was Trent Beckley, who had 22 points, and went 4-for-4 from the line. Connor Drum dropped 18 points, going 5-for-5 at the line and sinking a 3-pointer.”Connor and Trent played a nice high-low in between (Aztec’s) 2-3 zone,” Tronsrue said. Derek Rush was the third player for Battle Mountain in double digits with 11 points, nine of which came from beyond the arc. And Josh Ruark and Kyle Leffler combined for 10 points.”We try to get our starting five to understand that we need more (scoring) contribution than from just Connor and Trent,” Tronsrue said. “We almost had four guys in double digits, which is what we need to be successful.”Eight players scored for Battle Mountain, and the team was 13-for-16 from the line. The Huskies handled Aztec’s full-court press well, Tronsrue said.”We didn’t have any problems with the press,” Tronsrue said. “We pushed the ball up the floor and handled it well.”Battle Mountain also didn’t have any problem shooting the ball, as the Huskies were 25-for-37 on two-point baskets.Today the Huskies face Gunnison at 10 a.m., then will play Pagosa Springs in what will likely be the championship game at 8:30 p.m.Sports Writer Ian Cropp can be reached at 949-0555, ext. 14631, or icropp@vaildaily.com.Vail, Colorado


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