Niwot boys basketball splits a three-game week

The Niwot High School boys basketball team played three games this week, taking on the Mountain View Mountain Lions on Tuesday, the Fort Morgan Mustangs on Thursday, and the Northridge Grizzlies on Saturday. Niwot lost their Tuesday and Saturday games but won their Thursday game in a last-second thriller.

The first of the matchups was a 56-43 loss to Mountain View where Niwot's early struggles got the best of them. Getting outscored 17-6 in the first quarter, the game fell out of reach early, but they almost came back, outscoring Mountain View in the fourth period.

Niwot was pretty well split into points, with Jerek Funkhouser and Drew Stapp netting 11 points each, while Jackson Carnano's nine and Jack Jarvis's eight also helped the score, Funkhouser's seven and Carnano's six rebounds helped Niwot not lose control of the game while Jarvis's three assists led a group that notched nine. Niwot's 20 turnovers continued a theme of ball control struggles.

The Cougars regrouped on Thursday to face off against Fort Morgan, where they played a neck and neck game. Niwot started strong, getting a seven-point lead by the end of the first period. Over the next two periods the Mustangs were able to overcome the deficit, but a last-second three pointer propelled Niwot to a 59-56 point win.

Funkhouser dropped 20 points, while Carnano, Julian Lettow, and Jarvis also netted double-digit points. Out of the 31 rebounds, Carnano and Funkhouser tied for the team lead with seven each. The Cougars decreased their turnovers from the previous game dropping it down to 17.

Niwot's final game of the week came against Northridge, but the long week got the better of them. Niwot started the game slow, quickly falling down by 12 points in the first quarter. Niwot stayed down the remainder of the game, failing to catch a spark before the final buzzer, losing 74-43.

Funkhouser continued to light up the scoreboard as he has all season, putting in six field goals among his 16 points. Jarvis also had some good offensive production, putting in nine points alongside his two assists. Zachary Dawson and Funkhouser led the way in rebounds, notching five each. Drew Stapp highlighted a 12-steal game with four of his own, and with that Niwot won the turnover battle this game. Even with a statistically good game, it was Niwot's 30% shooting from the field that cost them the game.

Even though Niwot's season record is still below .500, this season has been anything but a bust. With seven games to go, they have already almost doubled the wins from the year prior, and with a batch of younger players stepping up, Cougar basketball is starting to look promising.