Trailing by 10 points after the opening eight minutes Saturday night, the Nucla Lady Mustangs then played the sort of quarter that any team would want against vaunted Dove Creek.
They unfortunately didn’t take full advantage.
Realizing the only thing more indefensible than DCHS senior Kylie Gatlin, whose first eight points powered the Bulldogs to an intimidating 18-8 lead in the 2023 Bulldog Classic’s girls’ championship game, was the most indefensible play on any basketball court, NHS quickly became reliant on free throws to remain in contention.
Able to do enough work on the offensive end to land Dove Creek regulars Ralynn Hickman and Taylor Hampton both in foul trouble (the junior guard and sophomore center/forward were each assessed three personals) before halftime, Nucla went to the charity stripe 14 times during the second stanza, and made just four obstruction-less attempts.
Bringing the visiting team back to 24-16, junior guard Cadence Shaw sank both of her tries with 1:16 left until halftime and the less-daunting eight-point margin held into intermission. And thanks to baskets by Shaw and senior guard Keiran Bray, offsetting two Hampton close-range hoops, Nucla was still just eight points back with 5:44 left in the third quarter.
And the Bulldogs knew that was too close.
Having attempted just four FTs during the first half, Dove Creek began wearing NHS down and went 5-of-8 from the foul line in the third – helping the home side surge into the fourth and final quarter on a game-breaking 15-2 run, keyed by old-fashioned three-point plays by senior Halee Beanland (1:56 left, increasing DCHS’ lead to 38-22) and sophomore Hadley Hatfield (0:17 left). With a 19-6 overall scoring edge during the third, the Lady Bulldogs then outscored the Lady Mustangs 11-2 in the fourth, and kept the tourney title in town with a 54-24 conquest.
“Nucla, they’ve come a long ways. They’re going to be good; they’re young, they move the ball well, they play good D, and they just stay after it,” said DCHS head coach Julie Kibel. “We got in foul trouble … in man (defense) and they started closing in, so we worked on a 1-3-1 zone – and got to practice it a lot tonight! So that really helped us.”
“We really needed this,” she said, “because we’ve kind of limped along all season. It’s nice to have everybody back – except Allex (Williams, sophomore), she’s still out for a while – and I like how we made adjustments in the game. Reading the floor, seeing the floor and doing what they know how to do – the girls were just amazing.”
Gatlin totaled 17 points to pace all players, and Hampton ended up with 12. Finishing with four fouls, as did Hampton, Hickman still managed nine points and senior Kalie Gatlin recorded seven. Hatfield scored all her six during the second half, and Beanland ended up with her three points. From the stripe, Dove Creek (6-2 overall, 0-0 2A/1A San Juan Basin) ended up 8-of-14; Nucla finished 6-of-21.
Bray totaled 11 points and Shaw six for NHS (4-4 overall, 0-0 SJBL). Freshman Shay Snyder booked four points and freshman Lantry Galley – who, like Snyder and junior Kendra McCluer (0 points, 0-6 FT), ended up with four fouls – chipped in three.
With the year-ending holidays fast approaching, Dove Creek will pause from play until traveling to Nucla on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024. Zandon Bray’s Lady Mustangs, meanwhile, will welcome 3A Cedaredge on the 9th to restart their ’23-24 campaign.
