Bulletin sports: girls basketball

Accountability a priority for Manitou girls basketball

Story and photo by Daniel Mohrmann

Heading into a highly anticipated matchup with Colorado Springs Christian, Manitou Springs girls basketball coach Juliana Argyle had a simple plan.

“If we don’t score, they don’t score,” Argyle said.

Disrupting the Lions’ offensive flow would have given the Mustangs their best shot to score an upset win. The plan was halfway effective in the 48-26 loss — the Lions were held to their second-lowest point total of the season. The problem is that the Mustangs (4-5 overall, 3-1 Tri-Peaks) couldn’t generate any offense. They were held without a field goal in the first quarter and shot after shot rattled out of the hoop.

“Defensively we stepped up and played a solid defensive game,” Argyle said. “We just couldn’t match them bucket for bucket.”

This is the stretch of the season where that can’t be an excuse, especially against league opponents. Grace Allen led the Manitou scoring effort with nine points and there was a stretch in the second quarter where the Mustangs cut the CSCS lead to less than 10 points.

But the team’s energy faded in the second half. The Mustangs picked up supplemental scoring from McKesson Rhodes (six points) and Kate Johnson (five points) but this game served as a good reminder that the competitive drive across the board needs to be better.

“We have to push each other harder in practice,” Allen said. “There is only so much our coaches can do for us.”

The loss snaps a three-game winning streak, all of which were league wins, for the Mustangs. Their next league game is set for Friday, Jan. 13, when they host Salida at 5:30 p.m.