The Lady Mustangs were at a three-day tournament over the weekend in Meeker, with both JV and varsity on the court. Head coach for the girls Zandon Bray told the San Miguel Basin Forum it was a girls-only tournament.
On Thursday, the JV team lost in overtime by four points; the varsity lost by one in overtime. Coach agreed the girls were competitive in their first games of the season.
“They were close games,” he said Friday morning. “Very winnable. They were good games.”
On Friday, JV lost to Meeker in overtime, but then the varsity beat Soroco 42-24. On Saturday, JV also beat Altamont 39-18, and the varsity won over Hayden 46-29.
For the tournament, Nucla took fifth place overall, and Lantry Galley was selected to the all-tournament team.
Bray is assisted this year by Debbie Wytulka. Bray has coached before for middle school football and also peewee football and basketball. This is his first high school coaching job. Wytulka has a few decades of high school coaching under her belt.
There are 17 girls out for the team this year, though one is not cleared to play due to a knee injury. There are just two seniors, and the team is very young. Only five of the girls are from Nucla; the rest are coming down from Norwood this year.
“They have not had a chance to play together very often,” he said.
But they’re playing hard. Coach said the girls’ effort is good, and he saw that over the weekend.
“What I saw was high effort,” he said. “Everyone on the team is extremely athletic. It helps when coaching that the girls are athletes.”
There’s a lot happening for the Lady Mustangs before the winter break begins. They played Montrose Dec. 5.
This coming weekend, the girls head to Rangely for another tournament. It’s varsity only, but it includes the guys team too. They’ll play three games for it. The following weekend, before the break starts, they have a tournament in Dove Creek too.
Games resume after the first of the year.
Like the guys season, the girls will play through February, and the state tournament happens in March. Practice happens nightly until then. The girls practice right after school, when the guys are wrestling. Boys basketball practice happens after the girls, a system which seems to be working out well.
What do the girls need to be successful this season? Bray said playing time, and time to “jell” together as a team. Only four to five of the ladies were on the high school team last year. Everyone else is new. Getting experience playing together will happen through the upcoming games.
As far as buses and transportation go, Bray said the Mustangs are not feeling the crunch as badly as some other districts are. He’s feeling OK about this season’s travel. West End Public Schools is handling it, and three parents from Norwood have volunteered to drive the girls down from Wright’s Mesa for practices.
Regarding the Nucla and Norwood girls competing together, rather than against each other, Bray said that needs to happen.
“We need to keep them on the same team,” he said. “My opinion is whether a ‘combine’ or ‘co-op,’ … them on the same team — that’s what needs to happen.”
Bray is looking forward to the new school and the new gyms, as are the players.
“They are extremely excited about that,” he said. “We’ll be in the old school until Christmas break. Our first home game is in the new gym. Everyone is excited about that. When we talk about that, the girls get a big smile on their face.”
On the team this year are seniors Keiran Bray and Paige Spor; juniors Viviana Zunich, Cadence Shaw and Kendra McCluer; sophomores Darcy Bray and Kieley Shepardson; and freshmen Lantry Galley, Sydney Tomlinson, Josey Tedder, Reese Elwood, Maggie Andrews, Shay Snyder, Maria Camacho, Holli Johnson and Charlie Mull. Manager is freshman Brylea Butler.
