The Aspen Skiers's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their eighth straight loss. They took a 35-25 hit to the loss column at the hands of Gunnison. The result was an unpleasant reminder to Aspen of the 49-32 loss they experienced in the two teams' previous head-to-head fixture two weeks ago.
Aspen's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Fiona Benvenuto, who scored eight points along with eight rebounds. That's the first time this season that Benvenuto pulled down eight or more rebounds. Ambler Henderson was another key contributor, scoring nine points along with six rebounds.
Sienna Gomez was her usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 12 points and 11 rebounds for Gunnison. Gomez hasn't dropped below eight rebounds for five straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Eden Williams, who scored eight points.
Aspen's loss was their 13th straight at home dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 1-9. Those losses could be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they only averaged 18.5 points per game. As for Gunnison, their win bumped their record up to 4-7.
Aspen will head out on the road to challenge Basalt at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. As for Gunnison, they won't have much time to rest: their next game is against Cedaredge at 12:30 p.m. on January 27th. That game will pit two of the most dominant players against one another: Carley Malinowski and Gomez.
