Basketball Recap: Ben Simons Leads a Balanced Attack to Beat Rifle

Coal Ridge won the last time they faced Rifle and things went their way on Saturday too. The Coal Ridge Titans came out on top against the Rifle Bears by a score of 60-53. That's two games straight that the Titans have won by exactly seven points.

Coal Ridge's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from 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. Alex Cornejo was another key player, going 5 for 7 en route to 11 points.

Titans

Previous 4 Games

01/25/25 @ Rifle	60-53
01/23/25 vs Glenwood Springs	62-55
01/21/25 @ Grand Valley	65-57
01/17/25 vs Basalt	61-56

Coal Ridge smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 15 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.

When it comes to explaining why Rifle lost, don't look at Adan Medina. Despite the final result, he went 7 of 10 on his way to 20 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Alex Gonzalez, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and ten boards.

Coal Ridge has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven games, which provided a nice bump to their 9-4 record this season. As for Rifle, their loss was their fourth straight at home, which dropped their record down to 2-13.

Coal Ridge will take on Moffat County at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Coal Ridge's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last four contests. As for Rifle, they will challenge Grand Valley at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Grand Valley has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.