DOUGLAS – The Torrington Trailblazers fell behind the No. 2-ranked Bearcats early and could not catch up on Friday in their second meeting this season, losing on the road, 61-49.
Torrington got off to a slow start, with a12-8 after the first frame, but battled back to bring the score to within two at intermission, 24-22. The Blazers poured in 10 points in the third quarter, while the Bearcats added 17 to expand their lead to nine points with a quarter to go. In the fourth, Torrington racked up 14 points to Douglas’ 20.
In the losing effort against second-ranked Douglas, Jordan Malm was the top-scorer for the Blazers, with 13 points. Nine of Malm’s points came from behind the arc. Nathan Stitt’s 12 points put him as the only other Blazer in double-figures. He hit four shots from the field, including two three-pointers. Tyler Ring chipped in nine points for Torrington.
Torrington 60, Newcastle 58
After the loss, Torrington bounced back Saturday to pick up a close road win over Newcastle, 60-58.
Although the Blazers came out with a win, the Dogies held a 16-15 advantage after the first quarter, taking that one-point lead into intermission, 29-28. Torrington made its move in the third quarter, putting up 18 points to Newcastle’s 15, giving the Blazers a 46-44 lead going into the last quarter. Torrington maintained its two-point lead, holding on for the win.
Ring topped the stat sheet in scoring for Torrington, with 19 points, connecting on nine shots from inside the arc. Malm turned in 15 points for the Blazers. He was second on the team in trips to the line, with six, nailing five. Stitt had 12 points on Saturday, six of which he picked up at the charity stripe on seven free-throw attempts. Bryan Lemmon contributed seven points and led the Blazers in made three-pointers, with two.
Torrington suffered its first conference and sits with a 4-1 record in the quadrant and an 11-6 record overall. With three games left in the regular season, the Blazers host Wheatland Friday at 7 p.m. and Rawlins Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
