Basketball Recap: Rifle Comes Up Short

Rifle lost against Aspen back in December of 2024 and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Friday. The Rifle Bears came up short against the Aspen Skiers, falling 78-53. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss the Bears have suffered against the Skiers since February 1, 2022.

Despite the loss, Rifle still got an impressive performance from Alex Gonzalez, who posted 20 points. Gonzalez's evening made it three games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Eliezer Vega, who scored six points in addition to five assists and five boards.

Aspen had a senior duo take command as Tommy Franceschi went 7 of 8 on his way to 17 points and five rebounds and Giovanni Seeman put up 13 points and five boards. What's more, Franceschi also racked up four assists, the most he's had since back in February of 2024. Another player making a difference was Jack Berro, who had nine points.

Rifle is on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 2-7. That patch can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 60.3 points per game. As for Aspen, their win bumped their record up to 7-3.

Rifle didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 78-43 defeat against Eagle Valley on the 11th. As for Aspen, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next matchup, a 70-48 victory against Moffat County on the 11th.