The Manitou Springs girls basketball team got its first taste of victory at the University Tournament in Greeley.
The Mustangs started play with a 54-27 win over Middle Park. Perhaps the biggest difference in that game, compared to the previous two, was that the Mustangs (1-4 overall) got off to a fast start, which proved beneficial in the long run.
“We were pretty confident with the ball and we were confident shooting,” coach Juliana Argyle said. “We need to be putting up these better shots against teams with stronger defenses.”
Manitou went 1-2 at the tournament, losing to University and then losing a tight game with Alamosa. Perhaps the biggest plague in the loss to the 37-35 Mean Moose was going 16-for-32 from the free throw line.
If the Mustangs had shot just 60 percent from the charity stripe, they would’ve walked away with a win.
The good news coming out of the Alamosa loss was Grace Allen establishing herself in the record books. She recorded 15 steals in that game, breaking the Manitou single-game record of 11, which was set by Jill Keaveny (2002) and later tied by Angala Jensen (2016).
Argyle and the coaching staff hope that Allen can put her name on a few more records this year — and that her performance can lead the Mustangs to more wins this season.
“It’s nice to come back and do something that you can be recognized for,” Allen said. “It’s a fun thing to have happen.”
But she’d trade steals for wins any day of the week; that’s the goal for her and her teammates moving forward.
Allen is averaging a team-high 16 points per game with Sami Benge-Kulzer, McKesson Rhodes and Tori Greene all hovering around five.
The Dec. 13 home-opener against La Junta was postponed because of weather, so the Mustangs will play at home for the first time when they face Atlas Prep on Friday, Dec. 16.