by David Tesitor
LA VETA, SANFORD- It was like night and day as the usually dominant Redskins easily defeated the Cripple Creek Pioneers 63-30 Thursday night but fell in equal fashion the following afternoon to the Sanford Farmers 47-27.
La Veta’s defense was the key in Thursday’s victory as the Lady Skins pulled down twelve defensive rebounds and three blocked shots. They also did a good job of containing Pioneer big lady Jessica Jorgensen, holding her to a season low of 11 points. Jorgensen was aggressive on defense as well, blocking six shots. La Veta closed a 17-8 first quarter when Sam McCay hit two at the buzzer.
Cripple Creek mounted a second-quarter run to pull within six by halftime after they executed a full court press, forcing two turnovers in the last thirty seconds and scoring four points.
The Lady Skins would not be denied as they opened the third quarter with a 12-2 point run, stopping the Pioneer threat. The Pioneers’ only score of the quarter came midway in the third. By now, La Veta led 37-21. Jacey Day continued the run, shooting two from the line and putting the game out of reach, 42-21. Creek could not overcome foul trouble, committing 10 third-quarter fouls and putting the Redskins in a double bonus from the line. La Veta was able to breeze through the game, securing the victory.
The next day, the Redskin luck changed when the Farmers easily defeated them. The Farmers held the Redskins to single digits every quarter, including only three points in the third quarter. Only four players scored in the game as the Redskins were unable to execute plays and experienced several turnovers in the game. Christina Koutnik, who leads the team in scoring with 12 points per game and 59 rebounds, was held to 4 points.
