Basketball Recap: Byers Finds Playoff Glory Versus Hayden

With a playoff win on the line, Byers rose to the challenge on Friday. They strolled past the Hayden Tigers with points to spare, taking the game 49-31. Given the Bulldogs' advantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 91st, while the Tigers are ranked 200th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Madilee Olsen

Field Goal Percentage

01/10/25 vs Simla	9%
02/01/25 vs Burlington	10%
01/14/25 @ Denver Christian	14%
12/10/24 vs Bennett	20%
01/30/25 vs Arickaree	20%

Byers found their leader in sophomore Madilee Olsen, who went 7-for-9 on her way to 17 points in addition to seven boards and four steals. Olsen also set a new season-high mark in field goal percentage with 78%. Another player making a difference was Leyla Sayler, who shot 63% from the field en route to 14 points.

Byers was working as a unit and finished the game with 12 assists. They are 13-1 when they've passed the ball that well.

Hayden lost despite a true team effort on offense. The best among them was Taryn Schlim, who almost dropped a double-double with nine points and 15 rebounds. Hayden is 9-4 when Schlim posts ten or more boards, but 1-5 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Ella Harris, who dropped a double-double with 11 points and ten rebounds.

Byers' record now sits at 15-9. As for Hayden, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-9.

Coming up, Byers and Simla will face off at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday without much rest, having both just played. Simla will roll in looking for their fifth straight win, something Byers surely won't give up without a fight. Hayden does not have any more games scheduled as of now.