Basketball Recap: Estes Park Falls Despite Big Games from Phineas Smith and Hayden Powell

If Estes Park was feeling good fresh off their 71-33 takedown of Denver Academy last Friday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Estes Park Bobcats took a 55-44 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Heritage Christian Eagles on Tuesday. The Bobcats were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Eagles apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in January of 2021.

Phineas Smith

Blocked Shots

02/18/25 vs Heritage Christian	6
02/14/25 vs Denver Academy	7
02/12/25 vs Union Colony Prep	3
02/07/25 @ Belleview Christian	3
02/05/25 vs Dawson School	4
+ 13 more games

Hayden Powell and Phineas Smith certainly did their best on Tuesday to avoid the loss. Powell dropped a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds, while Smith dropped a double-double with 14 points and 12 boards. Smith is also on a roll when it comes to blocks, as he's now posted two or more in each of the last 18 games he's played. Another player making a difference was Isaac Hill, who posted 11 points.

Even though they lost, Estes Park was working as a unit and finished the game with 13 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Heritage Christian only seven assists.

Heritage Christian was led to victory by Levi Hermsen and Alec Lundy. Hermsen went 8-for-18 en route to 18 points in addition to eight boards and three steals, while Lundy had 17 points along with seven rebounds and five steals. Harrison Nemetz was another key player, putting up six points and eight rebounds.

Estes Park now has a losing record of 9-10. As for Heritage Christian, they are on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last 11 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 13-5 record this season.

Estes Park has already played their next contest, a 73-43 defeat against Bishop Machebeuf on the 21st. As for Heritage Christian, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next match, a 42-29 victory against Belleview Christian on the 20th.