Basketball Recap: Grand Valley Comes Up Short

After flying high against Aspen last Tuesday, Grand Valley came back down to earth. The Grand Valley Cardinals were outmatched by the Roaring Fork Rams and fell 74-32. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Rams this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 54-31 back in January.

When it comes to explaining why Grand Valley lost on Thursday, don't look at Taylor Pittman. Despite the final result, she shot 45% from the field to rack up 12 points along with six boards and five steals. That's the most steals Pittman has posted since back in January of 2024. Kylene Mascioli was another key player, putting up four points and six rebounds.

Even though they lost, Grand Valley smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in four consecutive matchups.

Leading Roaring Fork to victory were Riley Bevington and Carley Crownhart. Bevington almost dropped a double-double with 27 points and nine boards, while Crownhart went 10-for-19 on her way to 23 points in addition to five assists and three steals. That makes it three consecutive games in which Bevington has scored at least a third of Roaring Fork's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Maddie Anderson, who had seven points and six steals.

Grand Valley dropped their record down to 6-15 with the defeat, which was their third straight on the road. As for Roaring Fork, their record now sits at 20-2.

Grand Valley wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next game, a 48-30 victory against Soroco on the 1st. As for Roaring Fork, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 55-42 win against Gunnison on the 1st.