COLORADO SPRINGS – The early-season results for the Mesa Ridge boys basketball team have been admittedly mixed. But if there is one thing the Grizzlies are starting to figure out, it’s that they play at their best when they trust each other.
That was certainly the case on Jan. 12 when they toppled Coronado 85-47 in their most dominant win of the season. They moved away from a mentality that was centered on individual performances and focused on thriving as a team.
“Tonight we actually played as a team and played for each other and not just for ourselves,” Terrell Moorer said. “That was the biggest difference.”
With that trust, their game plan thrived in a way they haven’t seen all year. They played a high intensity style of defense that may have led to a high foul count, but also forced the turnovers that the Grizzlies (4-8 overall, 1-0 CSML South) needed to score points in transition.
Moorer benefitted early as he scored all 14 of points in the first two quarters of the game. The overall scoring attack was versatile as they were able to knock down shots from the outside and also work the ball on the post.
A 28-point second quarter was led by freshman Bryce Riehl’s 10 points. He scored a team-high 22 points throughout the course of the game, 18 of which came from knocking down 3-pointer after 3-pointer.
“Everybody was doing their job and playing their role,” Riehl said. “Everybody was giving me a chance to go and score.”
The 85-point performance is by far the best of the season. The Grizzlies were held to 31 points in a loss to Vista Ridge on Jan. 4 and only scored 51 in a loss to Falcon on Dec. 10.
In fact, heading into the win over Coronado they averaged just over 61 points per game. The aggressive defense and fast-break mentality on offense had them up 69-33 after three quarters, blowing away their season average in just 75 percent of a game.
Coach Yantz Robinson knew that the team had the ability to put together this kind of performance, but he couldn’t help but be stunned by the overall result of the game.
“I didn’t expect this, I really didn’t,” Robinson said. “I’m really happy with the result because I think it lifts us up and helps us believe in each other.”
That’s the mentality that he wants for the next month and a half as the Grizzlies make their way through league play. They faced a tough non-conference schedule and although the results weren’t what they were hoping for, but it’s starting to look like it helped the team discover its identity.
“We trust and believe each other,” Robinson said. “If you look at our schedule, it’s one of the toughest schedules in the entire state, in my opinion. I’ve been tell the kids all year that this is what was going to get us prepared for conference.”
That preparation appears to have paid off. And the biggest lesson that Mesa Ridge learned in the conference opener is that trust is what will keep this team playing at its highest level.
