NHS girls basketball starts season strong

The 2023-24 winter sports seasons are officially underway, and the Niwot girls basketball team came out of the gate with a winning record.

In their opening matchup, the Niwot girls demonstrated exceptional teamwork and skill, securing a victory over Regis Groff High School, 37-35, that set a positive tone for the opening weekend round-robin tournament, hosted by Niwot Nov. 30 through Dec. 2.

A strong junior class showcased their talents, but it was the cohesive unit of the Niwot squad that shined throughout the showing. Junior Rose Pacheco led the team with 10 points for the Cougars, followed by junior Evelyn Melis with eight. Junior Peyton Rhodes and sophomore Ella Zechman each contributed five points.

Melis led the team in rebounds with 10, and senior Chloe Mitchell added seven rebounds. Pacheco had four steals in the game, while Melis and junior Jiselle Sales notched three each. Junior Haddie Adams made the only two free throws for the Cougars as the team was only 2-12 from the charity stripe. Thirty-seven turnovers also plagued the team

The second game brought a tougher challenge. Despite a valiant effort, Niwot experienced their first setback, succumbing to a narrow defeat by Denver North High School, 44-40. Zechman led the Cougars in scoring with nine points on the strength of three field goals from beyond the arc. She shot 60% from three-point range. Adams (8), Pacheco (7), Mitchell (6), Melis (5) Thalia Almarez (3) and Rhodes (2) also contributed points.

The difference in the game came at the foul line, where North converted 16 of 25 attempts, while Niwot had only 11 shots, converting six. The Cougars were called for 18 fouls, while North committed 15, but most of the Cougar fouls came on North shooting attempts. Turnovers also contributed to the loss, as Niwot committed 27, while North had only 17.

Niwot closed the tournament with an overtime victory against Battle Mountain High School, 42-38, and improved the season to a 2-1 record.

The Cougars led 21-13 at the half, and 28-21 after three quarters, but Battle Mountain scored 14 points in the fourth quarter to Niwot’s seven points to send the game to overtime. Pacheco led the offense with 17 points, while Melis contributed 10.

Melis also came up with four blocked shots which helped keep the Battle Mountain offense in check for most of the game. Junior Madison Ackerman, Pacheco and Melis each had two assists to lead the Cougars.

Things looked bleak for Niwot as the Cougars were down four points with under a minute to go in regulation, but Melis scored from beyond the arc and a free throw tied the game. In overtime, Almarez came through with a free throw to put Niwot ahead for good, leading to the victory.

Head coach Todd Trobaugh and assistant Mark Pacheco have a lot of talent to work with, but the team remains young, with only one senior. Pacheco led the Cougars in multiple categories last season, including assists and steals.

The Cougars will be on the road on Tuesday, Dec. 5 against Roosevelt High School before hosting town rival Silver Creek High School at home on Saturday, Dec. 9 at 12:30 p.m.