The Rangely Panthers came tearing into Tuesday's matchup with nine straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 27.4 points) and they left with even more momentum. They took down Plateau Valley 52-38. Given Rangely's advantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 50th, while the Cowboys are ranked 135th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Rangely's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Ashlynn Ducey led the charge by almost dropping a double-double on 11 points and nine steals. Ducey has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last six times she's played. Emmeree Wagner was another key contributor, scoring 13 points.
Plateau Valley's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Macy Bevan, who scored eight points along with 13 rebounds and five blocks. Bevan has been hot recently, having posted two or more blocks the last three times she's played. Another player making a difference was Emaline Ealey, who scored seven points along with eight rebounds and seven steals.
Rangely pushed their record up to 15-1 with that win, which was their fourth straight on the road. As for Plateau Valley, their defeat ended a seven-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 9-3.
Coincidentally, both teams will both be playing De Beque the next time they take the court. Plateau Valley will head out to face De Beque at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, while Rangely will head out to face them at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday.
