AaaRRR! Cougar boys basketball suffers tough losses to Roosevelt and Riverdale Ridge

The Niwot High School boys basketball team had two matchups this week, facing off against the Roosevelt Roughriders and the Riverdale Ridge Ravens, as the Cougars' game against the Battle Mountain Huskies was canceled on Saturday.

The Cougars went 0-2 for the week, losing 59-50 against the Roughriders, and 78-72 to the Ravens. The Cougars are now 5-10 on the year.

Niwot's first game of the week came on Tuesday when the Cougars took on the Roughriders in a back-and-forth thriller. The game stayed close at the start, with both teams scoring nine points in the first period. The Roughriders took the lead at the half, up three at 22-19.

Roosevelt extended the lead in the third quarter, pushing it to 38-33. Niwot tried to stay in the game, but ultimately was outscored in the fourth, losing 59-50.

Jerek Funkhouser dominated the game with 22 points, three rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Jackson Carnano assisted Funkhouser's campaign, notching 10 points of his own, along with pulling down 12 rebounds. Zachary Dawson also dominated the boards, grabbing 11 for himself while scoring seven points. Julian Lettow had an all around great game, getting five points, five assists, and four rebounds. In spite of some great individual performances,Niwot came up a bit short in the end.

Coach Clay Wittrock said, "We are dealing with quite a few injuries and illnesses. Jack [Jarvis] was injured on a hard foul early in the Roosevelt game. It limited him the rest of that game."

Niwot's second and final game of the week came against the Riverdale Ridge Ravens in a high scoring shootout. Riverdale Ridge took a small lead at the end of the first quarter, but Niwot's 21-point second quarter led the Cougars to a three-point lead at the half, 42-39. The third quarter was a stalemate, with both teams scoring 17 points each, putting Niwot up 59-56.

Just when it looked like Niwot might beat the 10-5 Ravens, the Cougars stumbled in the fourth quarter, putting up a modest 13 points against 22 for the Ravens, placing Niwot on the short end of a 78-72 final score.

Funkhouser put together another magical performance, grabbing 25 points, seven rebounds, four assists and a steal. Carnano also stepped up, netting 16 points alongside three rebounds. Sophomore Drew Stapp also put together a dominant performance, dropping 16 points, four rebounds, and four assists. Alexander Long had solid stats as well, getting two rebounds and three assists, atop his nine points.

Senior Drew Buckingham contributed four points and tied for the team lead in assists with four. Sophomore Luke Demmel made his first appearance on the varsity roster amidst some inactives, getting two rebounds during the night.

Jarvis, who normally starts at point guard, was still suffering the effects of his injury two days earlier. "To help his recovery, we limited his minutes, and he still managed three assists playing less than a quarter total," Wittrock said.

While the win column doesn't show it, the Cougars have improved over the season while at times missing key players. Niwot has seen multiple sophomores and juniors step up on the varsity roster and put up promising statistics. Hopefully, some of these close games start falling Niwot's way.