Girls Basketball: Niwot drops third straight

No coach enjoys losing, but Niwot’s Terri Ward was surprisingly upbeat following her team’s 49-38 home court loss to Greeley Central on Jan 26. After her team fell to Northridge unexpectedly on Jan. 23, the coach admitted she wasn’t sure which version of her team would take the court against the first place Wildcats; the one who put together an impressive string of wins to start 2018, or the one that “laid an egg” against the Grizzlies earlier in the week. Much to her relief, it turned out to be the former, a sure sign that her team’s recent improvement is no fluke, despite a three-game losing streak.

“We’re playing well. To come back after how poorly we played at Northridge, to come back and play this well, I’m just proud of them,” Ward said. “If this is the way we’re going to play, there’s going to be lots more Ws than Ls.”

Greeley Central thoroughly dominated Niwot in a 74-17 blowout when the two met on Dec. 8, but the new and improved Cougars kept this game close from the outset. Led by seniors Mary Gillett and Jamie Lee, Niwot closed out the first quarter with a 9-2 scoring run to tie the game at 15, and then went up briefly in the opening minutes of the second. The Wildcats quickly adjusted, however, and the two teams battled through low-scoring second and third quarters, with Greeley Central maintaining the edge.

Thanks to the efforts of seniors Allie Colvin and Sophie Grant, Niwot cut the Wildcats’ lead to four in the opening minutes of the fourth, and the momentum seemed to be favoring the home team. Once again, however, a series of untimely turnovers would be the Cougars’ undoing.

“We had three defensive possessions in a row where we were down four, and we just didn’t help the helper,” Ward said. Greeley Central put up eight unanswered points during a two-minute stretch late in the fourth period. “Those three possessions just killed us.”

Gillett ended the night with 14 points, bringing her team-high season total to 180. Sophomore Lily Sieben had seven, followed by Colvin with five, Grant with four, and Lee with three.

“I’m pleased with everybody that stepped on the floor,” Ward said. “We had a few miscues there at the end, but some of that was being aggressive. I thought they did a good job.”

With the losses, Niwot fell to 7-9, and 3-4 in the Northern League. Next week, the Cougars face Silver Creek (3-13, 2-5) on the road, then host Longmont (6-9, 4-4).

(1/23) — Northridge 55, Niwot 34

Cougars (7-8, 3-3) - - - - — 34

Grizzlies (3- 12, 2-5) - - - - — 55

Mary Gillett 3 3-6 9, Rosie Setter 3 2-2 8, Allie Colvin 2 0-3 4, Divya Bhat 1 0-0-3, Elise Crall 1 0-0 3, Jaime Lee 1 0-0 3, Sophie Grant 1 0-0 2, Lily Sieben 1 0-0 2, Marlow Baines, 0 0-2 0. Totals 13 5-13 34.

3-point field goals — Bhat, Crall, Lee

(1/26) — Greeley Central 45, Niwot 38

Wildcats (12-3, 5-1) 15 12 7 15 — 49

Cougars (7-9, 3-9) 15 5 9 9 — 38

Mary Gillett 6 2-2 14, Lily Sieben 3 0-0 7, Allie Colvin 2 0-0 5, Sophie Grant 0 4-6 4, Jaime Lee 1 1-2 3, Rosie Setter 1 1-2 3, Sophie Storz 1 0-0 2. Totals 14 8-12 38.

3-point field goals — Colvin, Sieben

Fouled out — Setter