NHS girls basketball drops two games

The Niwot girls basketball team had a tough week, but if the team's last three quarters are any indication, things are looking up for the 2-3 Cougars.

On Dec. 5, Niwot traveled to Roosevelt High School to take on the Roughriders, but came out on the short end of a 71-17 score. The Cougars had trouble generating any offense as sophomore Ella Zechman led the team in scoring with five points. Junior Evelyn Melis added four points and no other player had more than two points.

Rose Pacheco, the Cougars' leading scorer on the season, was held scoreless as she went 0-7 from the field. Niwot's team shooting percentage was 22%, compared to 38% by Roosevelt. More importantly, Roosevelt was able to get off 71 shots during the night compared to 32 shots by the Cougars. Niwot was equally cold from the charity stripe, shooting 25%.

Melis led the team in rebounds with five, while Peyton Rhodes added four. The story of the game came down to turnovers as the young Cougars, with only one senior, were unable to protect the ball, turning it over 42 times in 32 minutes of play.

The Cougars returned home to take on cross-town rival Silver Creek High School on Dec. 9. The game started much the same as the Roosevelt game as the Cougars found themselves down 10-0 midway through the first quarter against the taller Raptors.

At that point, the Cougars began to put points on the board, closing out the first quarter down 17-5 after a putback by junior Haddie Adams. From then on, Niwot kept pace with Silver Creek as each team scored 14 points in the second quarter.

The Cougars narrowed the gap to six points midway through the second quarter as Niwot went on an 8-2 run, starting with a field goal from outside by Adams, followed by a 3-point goal by Zechman. Junior Jiselle Sales pulled down a rebound and fed Pacheco on the outside for another 3-pointer to make the score 19-13. Pacheco returned the favor on a fastbreak a few minutes later, feeding Sales for an easy layup. But the Cougars turned the ball over and gave up an uncontested 3-pointer as the Raptors regained their 12-point lead just before the half.

The Cougars battled in the second half, outscoring the Raptors 16-15 over the final two periods, but could never close the gap, losing 46-35 as Silver Creek earned its first win of the season.

Coach Todd Trobaugh said, "It's a pretty simple story. We spotted them 10 or 12 points at the beginning of the game, and ended up losing by 11, so you know we never made up that initial deficit. They came out ready to play and we weren't, so that was the story of the game, along with unforced errors."

Pacheco led the offense with 11 points, and Sales added seven. Both teams shot 35% from the field, but the Raptors took 54 shots to the Cougars' 37. Sales pulled down nine rebounds, while Adams had eight. Niwot had 29 turnovers compared to 20 for Silver Creek.

The Cougars take on Riverdale Ridge High School on Tuesday, Dec. 12 at home at 5:30 p.m., then host SeveranceHigh School at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 14. Finding referees to officiate high school games in Colorado continues to be a challenge, forcing the Cougars and many other teams to schedule games on days other than traditional Friday nights.