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Keener, Gerber lift Coal Ridge

Mike Vidakovich
sports@postindependent.com

PEACH VALLEY — Junior post player Greyson Keener had 21 points and sophomore guard Hunter Gerber dropped in 19 points to lead the Coal Ridge High School boys basketball team to a 61-49 Class 3A Western Slope League win over Roaring Fork on Friday night.

Keener managed to control the area near the basket for much of the evening against the smaller Rams. His two inside baskets brought the Titans back from a 20-16 deficit after Roaring Fork guard Ben Carpenter had tossed in consecutive 3-pointers from the perimeter. Keener’s 12 first-half points helped give his team a slim 30-26 lead at intermission.

Coal Ridge came out aggressively in the third quarter — outscoring the visitors from Carbondale 18-10 — with much of the credit for the increased margin going to Titans guard Gerber, who scored on a couple of inside shots and made good on his tosses from the charity stripe.



The contributions of his inside and outside duo of Keener and Gerber were not lost on Coal Ridge coach Paul Harvey.

“Keener’s energy is tremendous. He’s all over the place. Gerber has the potential to be a phenomenal player,” Harvey stated.



After digging itself a second half hole, Roaring Fork could never quite get back in the game. When Coal Ridge’s Jake Solinger converted a steal into a layup with just under 4 minutes left to play, the score stood at 52-40, and the uphill climb left for the Rams was too much to overcome.

Following the game, veteran Roaring Fork coach Larry Williams gave credit to a worthy opponent, but also felt his team could have played better.

“We didn’t play a very good game tonight. We didn’t bring our basketball I.Q. with us,” Williams said. “Coal Ridge had a nice game plan and they executed it well.”

Coal Ridge (4-7, 3-3 league) also got a solid floor game from freshman point guard Brandon Herrera. He helped the cause with seven points of his own. Junior Dan Schouten added six points.

Roaring Fork (8-5, 5-3) was led by senior Chering Sherpa’s 10 points. The balanced attack continued with Jassiel Petetan scoring nine, Ben Carpenter eight and Raul Leyva and Ray Acuna helping out with seven and six points, respectively.

GIRLS: COAL RIDGE 51, ROARING FORK 36

PEACH VALLEY — The ladies of Coal Ridge upped their record to 4-7 overall and 4-2 in the 3A WSL with a hard fought win over the Roaring Fork Rams.

Coal Ridge senior Mariela Martinez, a four-year varsity player for the Titans, is hopeful the victory will help propel her team forward in the season’s final weeks.

“I think this win will keep us moving in the right direction if we stay focused and keep working hard at practice,” said Martinez, who led Coal Ridge in scoring with 17 points.

Despite the loss, Rams coach Chris Hall has seen steady improvement in his young group. He too, is expecting good things from his team in February.

“The last three games we have played have been some of our best basketball. This game was our best effort over four quarters,” Hall said.

Coal Ridge got a solid performance from junior post player Kaitlyn Detlefsen, who dropped in 13 points with 16 rebounds. Junior guard Jenny Call chipped in nine points.

Roaring Fork (3-10, 2-6 league) was helped along by sophomore Ashley Hall’s 14 points and six assists. Another sophomore, Cindy Salinas, had 10 points and 10 rebounds.

The Coal Ridge boys and girls will host Basalt on Saturday, while the Rams will trek up-valley for a contest with the Aspen Skiers.


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