In an impressive start to their seasons, the Glenwood Springs High School basketball teams, both boys and girls, secured emphatic victories against the Rifle Bears on Wednesday night.
Girls team dominates with 45-12 victory
The girls’ team, one that saw themselves making a final four appearance a year prior, demonstrated their skill and determination right from the start, with junior Taia Nykerk leading the scoring. Their strong defensive play and cohesive offense resulted in a commanding 45-12 win.
Contributing significantly, Nykerk scored 16 points on the night.
“It feels great to secure our first win of the season,” said Nykerk. “We have put in a lot of work this offseason and it’s a great feeling to see it pay off. This is only the beginning for us though.”
Head coach Rhonda Moser spoke about the team’s journey and focus on continued improvement.
“Right now, we are just trying to find our rhythm and see what works best for this team,” Moser said. “A lot of these girls were on last year’s final four team but didn’t see a ton of action. We are just trying to gain some experience and build some chemistry.”
Boys Team impresses with 92-31 win
It’s not everyday you see 92 points scored in a high school basketball game, but the Demons quickly established their dominance Tuesday night. Glenwood finished the first quarter with a substantial 33-3 lead, showcasing their offensive and defensive prowess.
A big three stacking up with the likes of just about any other in the state, senior Alec Classen led the scoring with 24 points and grabbed 9 rebounds, while Argeny Renteria added 22 points, 5 rebounds and 4 steals. Sim Wenger also played a key role, contributing 18 points and 10 rebounds. The team’s aggressive defense forced 19 turnovers in the first half and collected an impressive total of 41 rebounds by game’s end.
Classen reflected on the team’s performance and their goals for the season.
“This is exactly how we wanted to come out,” said Classen. “We wanted this game to be a stepping stone for the rest of the season. We just need to build off this and continue to play our best basketball.”
First-year head coach Matt Chilson discussed the importance of maintaining focus after such a dominant win.
“It’s a great win but I just told the guys, it’s only one,” Chilson said. “We have a long season ahead of us and we need to take it one game at a time.”
The Demon girls next travel to take on Chatfield on Thursday, while the boys will travel to Holy Family the same day as they look to keep the momentum of their dominant win.
The Rifle boys will look to bounce back when they travel to take on the Grand Junction Tigers on Thursday. Meanwhile, the girls will next take on crosstown rival Grand Valley in Parachute on Thursday.