1. Brody King guides Sailors boys to 6th straight win
When Steamboat Springs needed a spark, its captain delivered. After trailing, 6-4, in a dull first quarter, Brody King jumped all over visiting Delta with eight points in the second quarter alone. Steamboat went on to edge the Panthers, 41-33, aided by a game-high 14 points from King. Steamboat now enters a pivotal final week of the regular season, culminating with a date at league-leading Glenwood Springs on Saturday.
2. Soroco girls grab league division top spot
The Soroco girls basketball team is having a memorable season that comes on the heels of plenty of successful winters leading up to 2014-15 campaign. With an enormous win over North Park Saturday, the Rams secured their spot atop the 2A Western Slope Gore League, their first such title since 1996. Soroco is now 14-2 overall and should be able to sweep through this week and next week to improve to 17-2 heading into the playoffs.
3. Hayden boys and girls basketball squads get revenge
Neither the Tigers' girls or boys basketball teams had much luck the last time they played North Park with the squads suffering losses at home Jan. 17. Hayden rebounded nicely on Friday as both teams downed the Wildcats in their house. The boys won, 48-41, and the girls jumped all over North Park for a 48-36 victory. Both teams will host rival Soroco on Friday for senior night.
Quote of the week
Soroco High School senior girls basketball player Haley Johnson after the Rams' league-title-clinching victory against North Park on Saturday:
“We were so excited because we worked all season for this,” Johnson said. “We were taking it one game at a time, but it feels good when your goals are reached and your hard work pays off.”
19 — The point differential from the Hayden boys basketball team's loss to North Park three weeks ago to Friday's 48-41 win over the Wildcats. North Park edged Hayden by seven on Jan. 17, but a big night from Thomas Rauch (15 points) guided the Tigers to win the second game.
18 — The point differential from the Hayden girls basketball team's loss to North Park on Jan. 17 to Friday's double-digit win over the Wildcats. Hayden's 48-36 victory snapped a bit of a skid, but now the Tigers will have to square off with rival Soroco on Friday, which will be no small task.
14 — Number of straight wins for the Soroco boys and girls basketball teams combined. The entire Rams program is rolling along right now, and both teams look poised to head into their district tournaments and make some noise. Soroco swiftly handled its business this weekend against a pair of overmatched teams in DeBeque and North Park.
2 — Rebounds shy of a triple-double for Steamboat Springs High School girls basketball player Jenna Miller on Saturday against Delta. The Panthers managed to put away the Sailors in the final quarter, but Miller was all over the court, a personal challenge from her coach Mack Spitellie. Miller pitched in a team-high 10 points, snagged 11 steals and pulled down eight rebounds in the loss.
Friday
BOYS BASKETBALL: Hayden 48, North Park 41
BOYS BASKETBALL: Soroco 72, DeBeque 24
GIRLS BASKETBALL: Hayden 48, North Park 36
GIRLS BASKETBALL: Soroco 81, DeBeque 12
HOCKEY: Cherry Creek 11, Steamboat Springs 2
Saturday
BOYS BASKETBALL: Steamboat Springs 41, Delta 33
BOYS BASKETBALL: West Grand 49, Hayden 37
BOYS BASKETBALL: Soroco 46, North Park 22
GIRLS BASKETBALL: Delta 52, Steamboat Springs 33
GIRLS BASKETBALL: West Grand 44, Hayden 43
GIRLS BASKETBALL: Soroco 72, North Park 36
HOCKEY: Columbine 5, Steamboat Springs 3
NORDIC SKIING: Steamboat Springs girls 5th at Frisco, Steamboat Springs boys 7th at Frisco
WRESTLING: Steamboat Springs 3-2 at Meeker Duals, Hayden 4-1 at Southeast Duals (Wyoming)
To reach Ben Ingersoll, call 970-871-4204, email bingersoll@SteamboatToday.com or follow him on Twitter @BenMIngersoll