Delta coaches Luis Meza, center, and Clayton Curtis congratulate 152-pound senior Hunter Brasfield after an upset win sent him into the 4A Region 4 semifinals.
Hotchkiss senior Joe Boyle controls Ruben Chagoya of Basalt to win a 3A Region 1 title. He is one of 7 Hotchkiss state qualifiers.
Hotchkiss and Paonia boys will square off this week on the basketball courts. Both are 6-4 in league play.
Delta senior Brooke Taylor scores two of her 12 points against Summit after grabbing an offensive rebound.
Paonia 195-pounder Tyler “TK” Kendall sets Rangely’s Drew Collins up for a pin.
Paonia freshman Bo Pipher sets TJ Richard of North Park up for a pin in Saturday’s regional semifinal round. He is one of 13 Paonia wrestlers headed to state!
Surrounded by coaches and his dad, Conner Beard signs Letter of Intent to play football for the University of Nebraska Kearney.
Hotchkiss' Jacobe Galley signed a Letter of Intent to play football and study engineering at Colorado Mesa University.
Hotchkiss senior Cody Bartlett signed his National Letter of Intent to run cross-country for Hawaii Pacific University.
Photo by Wayne Crick Senior Erin Zunich works against Glenwood Springs’ Jordan DeCrow in an effort to break the Lady Demons’ press last week. Delta solved the press and went on to win 66-56.Delta's Lady Panthers basketball team won its fifth straight game after defeating 4A foes Glenwood Springs and Steamboat Springs last weekend. Delta scored a 66-56 decision over the Lady Demons on Friday night in Delta and then hit the road for a 58-26 win in Steamboat Springs on Saturday.
The Lady Panthers opened the hoops campaign with three straight losses to Grand Junction, Fruita, and Montrose. Since those losses, Delta has beaten Eagle Valley, Cedaredge, Paonia, Glenwood and Steamboat Springs.
The five-game win streak shows Delta's offense is averaging 61 points per game while the defense has allowed just 37.6 points per game.
Delta 66, Glenwood 56
Friday night's contest with Glenwood Springs began in solid fashion with the Lady Panthers jumping out to an early lead and then holding off the Lady Demons to take a 17-11 first-quarter advantage. Callie Gafford had nine of the 17 points for Delta while Skylyn Webb chipped in six of her game-high 20 markers.
Delta's intensity dropped off in the second period and Glenwood outscored them 16-12 to leave the Lady Panthers ahead 29-27 at the break. Kenzie Nelson-Buehler fueled the Glenwood offense with eight points in the second period.
Delta's lead grew to four points in the third quarter with the Lady Panthers rolling to an 18-16 advantage. Webb had six points in the charge while Shelby Curtis had five. Delaney Gaddis hit a pair of threes to help keep Glenwood close.
In the fourth quarter, Delta received extra help offensively from Brooke Taylor who scored six points to lead the Lady Panthers on a 19-11 run to seal the win. Webb chipped in four points on four free throws while Curtis, Erin Zunich and Gafford all contributed three points each down the stretch.
Delta will visit Glenwood Springs on Feb. 8 for a return match.
Delta 58, SS 26
The Lady Sailors fell to 1-4 in the 4A WSL and is now 5-5 overall following Saturday's loss to Delta. The Lady Panthers upped their league mark to 3-0 and improved to 5-3 overall to lead the 4A WSL standings.
A sluggish start was still good enough for the Lady Panthers to build a 14-7 lead after eight minutes of play. Webb cashed in seven of Delta's points in the opening frame.
The second period produced another 14 points for Delta with Webb and Curtis sharing the offensive lead with four points each. Steamboat's offense managed just six points and the Lady Sailors trailed 13-28 at halftime.
Delta's third-quarter play was the most productive of the game as the Lady Panthers played solid defense on their way to a 21-7 surge. Webb led the quarter with 11 points and Gafford contributed another six in the run.
The game's momentum was subdued in the final quarter with Delta keeping its quarter-winning ways with a 9-6 effort.
Webb was the game's leading scorer with 24 points while Gafford was next high with 14 markers.
Curtis finished with 10 points to give the Lady Panthers three players in double figures for the game. Steamboat's Crouch had 10 points to lead the Lady Sailor's attack.
Delta will host the Lady Sailors on Feb. 9 in a return matchup.
