Foiled significantly by first-quarter fouls, the Telluride girls unluckily found themselves playing catch-up for most of their last basketball contest before the holiday break.

Facing Crested Butte Community School on Day 2 of the weekend’s Gunnison Invitational, the Lady Miners conceded 12 free-throw attempts during the opening eight minutes and 32 during regulation. Fortunately, CBCS was only 50 percent (16-of-32) accurate, otherwise their 49-11 margin of victory would have been much more severe.

Senior Amy Guerrero and junior Thea Rommel both fouled out for THS (0-7 overall) after being held scoreless. Accounting for the offensive output, sophomore Emma Reggiannini tallied six points, sophomore Tjarn Lyons chipped in her four during the fourth quarter, and senior Summer Armstrong went 1-of-2 from the charity stripe.

Totaling 12 points, senior Blakeley Reynolds led the Lady Titans offensively. Junior Ann Collins went 6-of-10 from the foul line and ended up with 10 points, and junior Lexi Pickering also reached double digits with her 10. Junior Leigh Harpel scored nine, seven coming during a second quarter in which Pickering scored six and Reynolds five as 3A Crested Butte (4-2 overall) outscored 2A THS 18-3 to build a 28-5 halftime lead.

When action resumes in 2023, Telluride will begin 2A/1A San Juan Basin work hosting league powerhouse Dove Creek on Saturday, Jan. 7. Ranked No. 6 in the CHSAANow.com Class 1A poll, DCHS improved to 6-2 overall by defeating 2A SJBLers Dolores and 1A SJBLers Nucla to win their own weekend Lady Bulldog Classic.

THS will then visit 3A Bayfield on Wednesday, Jan. 11.

HARD DAY’S WORK: Beginning tournament play in Gunnison on Friday, the Lady Miners took on the task of facing both 3A GHS and 3A Montezuma-Cortez but encountered rough resistance from both squads.

Not wanting to be victims of a Day 1 upset, the hosting Cowgirls left little to chance in prevailing 50-5. Holding Telluride scoreless during the second half, Gunnison quickly ripped the game wide open with 19 first-quarter points, including all of sophomore Ava Stewart’s seven. Fellow soph Kylee McDougal racked up a game-high 17 points, and classmate Sienna Gomez scored nine in support.

Guerrero managed to score two points, as did Armstrong, while Reggiannini booked one (via four FT tries).

Thrashed 94-16 at Kirtland, New Mexico, Central — the defending NMAA Class 4A State Champion — earlier in the week, M-CHS sought out, and secured a fresh restart to their ’22-23 season by dealing THS a 60-12 defeat. Led by freshman Sariah Jackson, whose 10 points all came after intermission, 10 of the 11 uniformed Lady Panthers got in on the scoring. Sophomore Kalea Ogo booked eight points and sophomore Taylor Whited seven.

Armstrong paced the Lady Miners with six points, and Reggiannini registered four. Rommel sank one of her two free throws, as did sophomore Fianna Ahern. As would be the case against CBCS, Telluride did manage to score in all four quarters, certainly a positive sign moving forward.