Grizzlies seek to rebound from 'devastating' road loss
by David Mejia
ALAMOSA, Colo.— The Adams State College men’s basketball team has had their share of close calls and buzzer-beaters to last them the rest of the season. The Grizzlies are at a crossroads of sorts, as they are 3-4 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference standings and have to make a move real soon.
Adams State, 4-10 overall, does not have much time to ponder the possibilities very long, as it will entertain Western New Mexico and New Mexico Highlands on Wednesday and Thursday nights, respectively. The Mustangs are 3-4 in RMAC play and 7-8 overall, while the Cowboys are 2-5 and 2-12 heading into a Wednesday night game at Colorado State-Pueblo, respectively.
Although their records may not be very impressive, no game is a sure thing in the RMAC. The Grizzlies will have to play well on both nights to defend their home court and get a pair of wins to get back into the fray that is the RMAC title chase.
Adams State will have to play good team basketball and. moreover, finish the games strong. The Grizzlies squandered a 12-point lead against Colorado Mines on Saturday and are certainly still smarting from the loss.
“It was a tough loss because we worked hard to get a 10-point lead and to give it up in two or three possessions was devastating,” Adams State coach Larry Mortensen said. “We’ll bounce back; we have to.
“The good thing is that we don’t have all week to sulk over it. We come back right away and we have 12 games in the West Division and these are the ones that make the difference.”
The good thing is that Adams State is pretty much at full strength and will count on the likes of Roman Moniak (Sacramento, Calif.) and Wes Jensen (Molalla, Ore.) to lead the scoring. Moniak is averaging 20.3 points per game in conference games, while Jensen is scoring 13.6 per contest.
Point guards Larry Charles, Jr. (Tucson, Ariz.) and Marcus Mortensen (Cortez, Colo.) have become scoring threats as of late and will continue to be counted on to get the Grizzlies in their offensive sets and apply defensive pressure up front. Charles has 13 steals in conference play and is averaging 3.6 assists a game, while Mortensen has 10 steals and is averaging 3.4 assists a game.
Charles, Jr., Mortensen and David Hull (Belen, N.M.) are each scoring an average of just over seven points a game. Hull, who made all three treys he attempted at Colorado Mines, scored 13 points and is becoming the shooting threat he was two seasons ago before a knee injury sidelined the former Belen High School standout.
Western New Mexico is led by a pair of players who are averaging double-digits in scoring. Trey Clarkson is averaging 13.7 points a game, while Casey Crevelone is chipping in 12.1. New Mexico Highlands is paced by Anthony Fuller, who is averaging 15.9 points a game.
Both games can be heard on KSPK-FM (103.5) at 8 p.m. following the Adams State women’s games or via the internet at www.kspk.com
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