by Julian K.
With Mountain Range’s boys basketball team’s aspirations to make state, their slow start to the season needs to be made up for by their upcoming games. And their work and need to be great this year very well could push them to where they want to go. And this started on January 6th, in a game against Broomfield.
Starting the season 0-5 is hard for any team, but just before break the Boy’s varsity basketball team was able to pick up some momentum and finish with 3 straight wins. And this momentum and confidence is great in moving into league play. The Mustangs have 15 league games to play, all of which are crucial for them to reach their goal. And this play started on January 6th where the team was able to narrowly win over, a then, 6-1 Broomfield team.
The game was not looking good for the Mustangs during the first half, as they had to overcome a 10 point deficit entering the second half. That was not too much for them however as they were able to keep the game close the whole second half and were able to control the game most of the 4th quarter. And that is where the Mustangs were able to pull it out, as the game came down to crucial free throws on 3 different possessions, which were able to hoist them to victory.
And with this continued success it can be hoped that it has had a positive impact on the players and the coaches as well. As it was great to pull out a win like that while being seen as underdogs. However that one win does not mean everything as there still are 14 more games, all of which, as mentioned earlier, are of equal importance. With that being said it must feel nice for the players to get such a big win; seeing all of their hard work paying off.
Head Varsity Basketball Coach, Chris Morgan, said, “We have a lot of talent in the program and I'm very optimistic for our league. If we play together, as one it should be a great season.” This “As One” attitude is very important to their success. If any team can continue to play together and united it makes almost any team unbeatable, including the Mustangs.
The boy’s team has been preparing for this time of the year for almost 10 months now and are ready to play. MRHS senior guard Eric D claims “The atmosphere of the games is always fun to play in, especially rivalry games since there’s a lot of people there. I also get to play against people that I’ve played with before in club, which is also fun.” Having players as excited as coaches are great for a basketball team, especially one that is looking to do great things this season.
It remains to be seen how their play will carry on, but this win at Broomfield is hoped to be not a highlight but a stepping stone to who they can be and what they can do as a basketball team. They continue play next week taking on Monarch and Fairview, both at home. And it is hoped by many that they can pull these two wins out.