The Creede Miners came tearing into Friday's matchup with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 25.7 points) and they left with even more momentum. They came out on top against Sierra Grande by a score of 54-41. For Creede, this counts as revenge for the 44-23 loss Sierra Grande walked away with the last time they faced one another back in January of 2023.
Creede's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Lila Fairchild led the charge by almost dropping a triple-double on 30 points, nine rebounds, and 14 steals. That makes it four consecutive games in which Fairchild has scored at least a third of Creede's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jasmin Laing, who scored 13 points along with eight assists and five steals.
Several Panthers players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Jaylyn Quezada, who almost dropped a triple-double on 11 points, nine rebounds, and ten steals. That's the first time this season that Quezada pulled down eight or more rebounds. Yazmin Molina was another key contributor, scoring eight points along with ten rebounds and four steals.
Creede has been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight games, which provided a massive bump to their 7-6 record this season. As for Sierra Grande, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-9.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Creede won't have much time to rest: their next matchup is against Moffat at 5:00 p.m. on January 27th. Moffat has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games. As for Sierra Grande, they won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against Antonito at 5:00 p.m. on January 27th. Antonito is still on the hunt for that elusive first 'W'.
