Cougar girls basketball opens season

The youth of the Niwot High School girls basketball team showed in the opening games of the 2022-23 season, as Niwot lost to Regis Groff and Denver North.

The Cougars stayed with the more experienced Regis Groff squad for most of the game, but came out on the short end of a 50-46 score on Dec. 1.

The teams traded baskets during the first half, with Regis Groff holding the lead at the end of the half, 18-16. Sophomore Thalia Almarez opened the second half with a 3-pointer, giving Niwot a 19-18 lead, and sophomore Rose Pacheco picked off a rebound and went coast-to-coast for a layup, increasing the lead to three.

Evelyn Melis stole the ball and scored on a put-back to give Niwot a 23-18 lead. Pacheco hit two free throws and junior Molly Slupik converted under the basket to give the Cougars their biggest, and last lead, 27-20.

From that point on, the youth and inexperience of the Cougars began to show as turnovers mounted, and Regis Groff took advantage. A layup at the buzzer by Regis Groff ended a 12-2 run, leaving Niwot down 32-29 at the end of the third quarter.

More turnovers and fouls at the start of the fourth quarter gave Regis Groff an 8-point lead before a pass from sophomore Madison Ackerman inside to Slupik cut the lead to six. A putback by sophomore Haddie Adams cut the deficit to five points at 40-35 before Regis Groff took advantage of more turnovers and defensive lapses to increase the lead to nine points at 44-35.

At that point, Pacheco and Melis took control, scoring six points on layups to close the gap to 44-41. A free throw by Almarez and a layup off a steal by Pacheco brought the Cougars within one point at 45-44 with a minute to go.

A 3-point attempt by Melis that went in and out of the hoop, followed by two missed free throws forced the Cougars to foul, and Regis Groff made two free throws, increasing the lead to 49-44. The Cougars continued to battle as Melis scored on a putback to make it a one-possession game at 49-46 with 16 seconds on the clock.

Niwot again had to foul, and Regis Groff converted one of two free throws to seal the win, 50-46.

Pacheco led the scoring with 18 points and Slupik added 11. Slupik had 14 rebounds while Almarez added nine. The Cougars were 11-20 at the free throw line.

On Dec. 3, Niwot faced Denver North at home, falling 52-35. Niwot started slow and fell behind by six points before closing the gap late in the second quarter.

Three baskets by Pacheco on driving layups and one basket by Slupik closed the deficit to four points at 21-17, but Denver North scored the next seven points before Melis hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer, leaving Niwot on the short end of a 28-20 halftime score.

The Cougars came out cold in the third quarter, scoring only four points, including two by sophomore Cat Omer, playing her first game of the season. The quarter ended with Niwot behind by 17, at 41-24. Pacheco led the offense in the fourth quarter, scoring six points, with Melis and Slupik adding two each, but they couldn't close the gap. Pacheco again led the scoring with 17 points, while Melis led with eight rebounds.

Poor shooting at the free throw line cost Niwot a chance to stay in the game as the Cougars went 3-20 from the charity stripe. Freshman Ella Zechman converted one of three for her first points of the season.

After the Denver North game, Coach Jon Hill said, "We're young and it showed. We had a situation last year where we had a couple injuries, so some of the sophomores are almost playing as if they're freshmen." Hill noted that both Slupik and Omer are playing varsity for the first time after recovering from injuries.

"Definitely an opportunity to learn and continue to grow, and it's exciting when you evaluate where we are and where we can be in the next couple of years," Hill said. "We turned the ball over 33 times (against Denver North) and I think that just shows our youth."

With a squad made up primarily of sophomores and freshmen, Hill said it was hard to get the girls to realize that they could play hard against their teammates, and still be friends afterwards. "We're working on making sure that we compete in practice," he said. "We've got a lot of girls who are very early in their basketball career, but they're an amazing group. They love each other, they support each other, We'll get where we need to go."