Basketball Recap: Niwot Takes a Loss

On Tuesday, the Niwot Cougars lost to the Monarch Coyotes on the road by a 61-43 margin. While losing is never fun, the Cougars can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 158th, while the Coyotes are ranked 45th).

Despite the loss, Niwot still got an impressive performance from Thalia Almaraz, who went 7-for-12 en route to 15 points and eight steals. What's more, Almaraz also racked up four rebounds, the most she's had since back in December of 2024. Alaina Loomis was another key player, putting up 12 points and five assists.

Monarch found their leader in sophomore Sienna Williams, who dropped a double-double with 23 points and 11 boards. Williams has been hot for a while, having posted nine or more rebounds the last 27 times she's played. Another player making a difference was Ginger Milot, who went 7-for-13 on her way to 17 points and four steals.

Niwot's defeat was their fourth straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 10-11. As for Monarch, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 12-7 record this season.

Niwot didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next match, a 65-37 loss against Frederick on the 13th. As for Monarch, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next game, a 44-31 victory against Fairview on the 13th.