CARBONDALE – In a game that featured two of Class 3A’s top inside players, the Roaring Fork High School guards stole the show.

The Rams’ Tarn Udall and Aspen’s Lizzie Suiter battled to a draw in the paint, but Roaring Fork had the superior outside game as the Rams won their first league game of the season 50-36 Friday night at Roaring Fork High School.

“They are just so quick and so smart,” Roaring Fork coach Jacky Gaddis said of guards Carly Valesquez and Ashley Jensen. “We knew we had to shut down (Suiter) and we definitely did that.”

Valesquez, a sophomore, finished with a team-high 18 points. Perhaps the biggest contribution, however, came on the defensive side of the ball. Roaring Fork (1-1 Western Slope League, 5-2 overall) pressured the Skiers’ outside players throughout the game, denying the pass inside to Suiter and causing numerous turnovers and fast-break opportunities.

The pressure seemed to wear on Aspen (0-2, 3-4). Roaring Fork scored the final six points of the first half for a 25-21 advantage, then went on a 17-0 run in the third quarter. Aspen scored its first points of the third quarter – a three-pointer by Tara Walker – with 4 seconds remaining in the frame.

Valesquez tallied seven points in the stanza, while Brie Bath notched four and Jensen had two points, two assists and a key steal. The result was a 42-24 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

“(Gaddis) pretty much told us at halftime that we were playing good, but she knew we could play better,” Valesquez said. “Usually we lose some intensity in the second half.”

While Udall and Suiter didn’t put up huge numbers, the battle inside was an entertaining one. At one point in the second quarter Suiter blocked a Udall shot at one end. Udall returned the favor on the next series, blocking Suiter in the paint.

Aspen 9 12 3 12-36

Roaring Fork 8 17 17 8-50

A complete box score was not made available to the Post Independent.