Basalt is 2-8 against Coal Ridge since February of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Basalt Longhorns are taking a road trip to take on the Coal Ridge Titans at 7:00 p.m. Basalt is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 56 points per game this season.
Basalt took a loss when they played away from home last Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They strolled past Moffat County with points to spare, taking the game 80-64. The Longhorns' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
| 01/10/25 vs Moffat County | 29 |
| 12/14/24 vs Peak to Peak | 24 |
| 01/04/25 vs Roaring Fork | 19 |
| 01/07/25 @ Montrose | 14 |
| 12/13/24 vs Forge Christian | 7 |
Basalt had a senior duo take command as Elias Schendler dropped a double-double on 29 points and ten rebounds and Luke Williams went 9 for 12 en route to 27 points and three steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Schendler has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Zealand Lane, who dropped a double-double on ten points and 16 boards.
Basalt smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Moffat County only pulled down nine offensive boards.
Meanwhile, Coal Ridge came up short against Aspen on Tuesday and fell 53-41. The Titans haven't had much luck with the Skiers recently, as the team's come up short the last three times they've met.
Basalt will have to keep a close watch on Ben Simons and Diego Gamez, a pair of players who had a big impact on Coal Ridge's prior game. Simons went 8 of 14 on his way to 18 points and eight rebounds, while Gamez posted ten points and three steals. Gamez has been hot, having posted two or more steals the last six times he's played.
The victory got Basalt back to even at 5-5. As for Coal Ridge, their loss dropped their record down to 5-4.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Basalt has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 28.9 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Coal Ridge struggles in that department as they've been averaging 34.6 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Basalt came up short against Coal Ridge when the teams last played back in February of 2024, falling 53-46. Can Basalt avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
