Basketball Recap: Rifle Takes a Loss

Rifle was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their ninth straight defeat. They took a 60-53 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Coal Ridge Titans. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Bears of the 59-52 loss they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in February of 2024.

Despite the loss, Rifle still got an impressive performance from Adan Medina, who went 7 of 10 en route to 20 points. Alex Gonzalez was another key player, dropping a double-double on 15 points and ten rebounds.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Coal Ridge to victory, but perhaps none more so than Ben Simons, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and ten boards. Simons is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down eight or more in the last five games he's played. Another player making a difference was Alex Cornejo, who went 5 for 7 on his way to 11 points.

Rifle's defeat dropped their record down to 2-13. As for Coal Ridge, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven matches, which provided a nice bump to their 9-4 record this season.

Rifle is taking a road trip to challenge Grand Valley at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Grand Valley is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 53.1 points per game this season. As for Coal Ridge, they will host Moffat County at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Coal Ridge is coming into the contest hot, having won their last four games.