MANCOS – Time is precious, and with two months left in head coach Julie Oliver’s second season, that reality is clear.
Oliver knows she won’t get another season to develop her Class of 2026 standouts, so their time is now.
Senior captains Caylee Moore and Destiny Kramer have approached their final season with urgency and new roles. They combined for 16 points as the post presence in Oliver’s system during a 44-23 win over Ouray on Thursday to open San Juan Basin League play.
“We love getting those post entries – it feels old-fashioned, but that’s the way we want to play,” Oliver said, “and it makes teams have to defend us everywhere on the floor.”
Early-season competition left the Jays needing an offensive spark, but their success started on defense.
“Everything we do starts with our defense,” Oliver said after the team’s comprehensive victory. She credited a decisive 26-0 run from mid-second quarter to early fourth to strong footwork on defense.
Kramer and Moore lead four seniors, but underclassmen carry much of the scoring load.
Sophomore Tinsley Aspromonte, last year’s scoring leader, had 22 points in the win.
The 22 points marked Mancos’ highest output this season and showed their strength at the rim. Half of Moore’s points came at the free-throw line, forcing Ouray into foul trouble. Moore has embraced the challenge of battling in the paint. She faces tough SJBL defenders by battling Kramer daily in practice.
“I played some post last year, but this year I’ve been working on it every single day – being strong with the ball,” Moore said, “and Destiny is going to give me that tough contact in practice.”
“Caylee’s been so coachable and loves to work,” Oliver said. “She’s grown so much in the past year in the post – I wish I had more time to work with her.”
The seniors are mentoring the next wave of Jays – a responsibility Moore takes seriously.
“It’s a different dynamic this year,” Moore said as the team now has plenty of familiarity with their head coach in her second year. “We’re learning that high energy wins games.”
The Jays (2-5, 1-1 SJBL) aim to climb from last year’s fourth-place finish and return to the 2A postseason after a one-year break. A 49-24 loss to defending champion Nucla showed the level they’re chasing.
“It’s one game at a time,” Moore said. That path continues with rivalry games at Dove Creek on Tuesday and Dolores on Friday.
Boys: Ouray 69, Mancos 35
In boys play, Mancos (1-6, 0-2 SJBL) is building under first-year head coach Rudy Archuleta. The Jays brought energy but struggled against Ouray’s press.
Junior Michael Resner scored 15 points and James Potts added 11 as Mancos tried to contain SJBL player-of-the-year candidate Cavan Pasek.
Pasek scored 23 to lead all scorers as Mancos dropped its opener.
A 78-40 loss to Nucla on Saturday left the Jays focused on upcoming games against Dove Creek and Dolores to earn their first league win.
