District draws set for Eagle Valley, Battle Mountain
EAGLE COUNTY — Getting to the district tournament has been tough for both Battle Mountain High School boys basketball and Eagle Valley’s girls squad.
Now it’s getting even tougher.
With Monday’s rockslide in Glenwood Canyon, the Huskies and Devils will be taking the long route to their Thursday games at Palisade — Colorado Highway 131, U.S. Highway 40 and Colorado Highway 13 to Interstate 70.
“We’re going to take the scenic route,” Huskies coach Phil Tronsrue joked. “We’re going up to Steamboat and we’re going to pick up the Steamboat Sailors. Then we’re going to Craig and pick up the Moffat Bulldogs.”
Heck, Coach, you might as well get the Rifle Bears while you’re at it.
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Eagle Valley takes on Rife at 3 p.m. on Thursday at Palisade, followed by Battle Mountain vs. Glenwood Springs at 4:30 p.m., in the same gym.
Devils beat Summit
Eagle Valley finished the regular season by beating Summit County, 43-29, without both Kylie Martin and Ashley Floyd.
Stepping up for the Devils were Regan Bossow and Cassie Jaramillo, who combined for 33 points.
“They’re both sophomores, and it’s incredible how well they played,” Devils coach Sam Bartlett said. “They have great chemistry and really showed their maturity.”
Eagle Valley’s had a rough go of it against Rifle, falling to the Bears twice. Is the third time a charm?
“Nobody thinks we’re going to win this game,” Bartlett said. “We’re the underdogs. It’s all a bonus for us.”
Huskies face Glenwood … again
It’s good that Battle Mountain and Glenwood Springs are playing at a neutral site on Thursday. After all, home court meant nothing in their first two meetings of the season.
Glenwood won at Battle Mountain in January and the Huskies returned the favor in the Demons’ gym.
Regardless of where this game is played, Tronsrue said, it’s all about his team’s approach to the game. The Huskies have played well against the league’s best, including a win against league-champion Rifle last week, but also have had some clunkers, like a home loss to Steamboat, also last week.
“We know we’re a capable team,” Tronsrue said. “We’re doing the best we can to have level frame of mind. We’re still working hard. We know we need to play to our strengths, and that starts in the beginning. We we get going right away, we know we can be in ball games.”
And the Saints …
Vail Christian basketball is playing the waiting game. Both Saints teams have two games left in the regular season — at North Park on Friday and at DeBeque on Saturday.
The Saints boys need to win those games to clinch the Gore League. The Saints girls want to win both to hold onto second place and the accompanying favorable seed in the district tournament.
Doubtless, both teams hope that Glenwood Canyon is open by the weekend.
Sports Editor Chris Freud can be reached at 970-748-2934 and cfreud@vaildaily.com. Follow him on Twitter @cfreud.
