Redskins, Tigers, and Bobcats oh my…

LA VETA — Fans packed the gym at La Veta High School as the Redskins played their first home basketball game of the season against the La Junta Tigers Tuesday night. Both the boys and girls team definitely gave their all and put on performances to be proud of. The action started off with the ladies who took the court first. Although it was a sluggish start for the Lady Reds, the girls came alive and showed a tremendous amount of teamwork by both the starters and the bench as they took the lead in the second and stayed there throughout the rest of the game, taking the win 33-19. This win was a team effort by far, but once again seniors Sofia Schneider and Rena Trujillo led the way for their young team. Kaylee Ortibez definitely brought the crowd to their feet as her half court shot at the end of the second went in with nothing but net, sending the crowd into a frenzy of Redskin battle cries as they cheered for the young sophomore. Gabby Lopez was on her game as well playing tough defense and securing several rebounds. The story was much the same as the boys game began. Lots of cheers and all the noise from the fans seemed to fuel up the Redskins as they took the court with nothing but confidence and smiles. The Redskins took the lead in the first and fought hard to stay there throughout the rest of the game. Foul trouble plagued the Redskins in the previous game against Elbert but not this time; every player was on their game against the Tigers. Keeping a tough offense, and playing a smart and clean defense definitely helped take the win for the Redskins, 39-32. K.C. Lee and Tanner Sporcich topped the leader board with K.C. having 17 points, 11 rebounds and Tanner with 9 points, 1 rebound and 7 steals. Kyle Brooks, Trevor Warren, and Rio Sciacca played well and definitely contributed in a big way to the team’s first win. Coach Berry was all smiles as he coached the back-to-back wins saying, “I thought both teams did very well tonight… The girls started off a little sluggish but finally got into a rhythm. Gabby and Rena did a good job controlling the boards for us and the guards did a good job taking care of the ball. I’m proud of how well the girls have prepared and their attention to detail. “The boys did very well tonight also; they got off to a good start and managed to stay out of foul trouble, something that plagued us last week. They executed well, defended well and controlled the boards. They kept their composure under pressure and pulled out a satisfying win. It was a good start to the week as we prepare for Custer County on Friday”. With a few short days back in the practice gym, the Redskins hit the road for Westcliffe to take on the Custer County Bobcats. Although the Redskin boys ended up losing 35-29 to the Bobcats, it was by far the best game we’ve seen the Redskins play thus far. Kyle Brooks, and Tanner Sporcich fought hard from the three-point line, while K.C. Lee drove hard to the basket, scoring 14 points and 6 rebounds. Trevor Warren and Rio Sciacca each continued to play hard under the basket securing several rebounds for the team. The Redskins sit 1-3 overall thus far. The Lady Redskins had very little trouble securing the win against the Lady Bobcats; they started off in the lead and stayed there through the rest of the game. It was a rough matchup in a different form, however, as a couple elbows to the face finally sent Sofia Schneider to the bench for a short time with an apparent broken nose. Ouch! Rena Trujillo led the way in points, and Kaylee Ortibez led the rebounds, both girls showing tremendous strength under pressure. With the win against Custer County, the Lady Reds are now sitting 4-0 overall. La Veta will be back on the road again Thursday December 18 as they travel to Cimarron, N.M. to take on the Rams beginning at 5 pm.