McKesson Rhodes dribbles through the crowd during Manitou’s Dec. 1 game against Peyton.
The Manitou Springs girls basketball team wasted no time in getting back to form coming out of the winter break.
The Mustangs saw action in two games last week, getting a 56-37 win over James Irwin and a 42-18 win over Banning Lewis, getting their first league wins of the season.
With a team’s conditioning and performance always a concern coming out of a two-week layoff, it was important that the Mustangs (5-3 overall, 2-1 Tri-Peaks) got off to a good start before hitting a tough stretch of the schedule.
“It was so important, especially since our goal moving forward is to play with discipline and determination that defines who are as a team,” coach Jessie Nunley said. “It’s been a good start.”
Ashlyn Thomson and Lexi Vigil set the tone for the Mustangs offensively in the win against James Irwin on Jan. 5. Thomson led the scoring effort with 16 points, while Vigil added 13.
Freshman Tori Greene had arguably her best game of the season so far, as she netted eight points to give the Mustangs a versatile scoring attack.
“It makes all the difference with our level of trust as a program,” Nunley said. “It’s nice to see we have depth and experience across the board this early in the season.”
That dynamic attack showed up again two nights later at Banning Lewis with Thomson again leading the way. She scored 12, while Bella Coscetti added nine before the Mustangs pulled back the reins in the lopsided win.
“There isn’t a time where we won’t be able to score on the court,” Vigil said. “If players like me or Ashlyn are off, we’re seeing that we can count on these underclassmen when they get in the game.”
The Mustangs traveled to Eagle Ridge Academy on Tuesday, Jan. 11, and won the game 49-39. It’s going to be a tough week ahead for the Mustangs as they’ll see Colorado Springs Christian at home Thursday, Jan. 13, before playing two straight games on the road, one against Salida and the other at St. Mary’s.
This stretch should give Nunley and her team an idea of their standing within the league. But either way, they know that the next month of basketball is going to be crucial for the team’s postseason outlook.