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Steamboat Shoot Out returns for the weekend

Joel Reichenberger
Steamboat girls basketball coach Mack Spitellie watches over a practice last week. His Sailors, 2-0 on the season, will begin play Thursday in the Steamboat Shoot Out basketball tournament.
Joel Reichenberger

Steamboat Shoot Out schedule

Thursday

Boys

2:45 p.m. Battle Mountain vs. Northridge

4:30 p.m. Eagle Valley vs. Moffat County

6:15 p.m. Steamboat Springs vs. Roosevelt

7:45 p.m. Colorado Academy vs. Elizabeth

Girls

2:45 p.m. Battle Mountain vs. Prairie View

4:30 p.m. Eagle Valley vs. Frederick

6:15 p.m. Moffat County vs. Elizabeth

7:45 p.m. Steamboat Springs vs. Discovery Canyon

Friday

Boys

2:45 p.m. Elizabeth vs. Eagle Valley

4:30 p.m. Roosevelt vs. Battle Mountain

6:15 p.m. Northridge vs. Colorado Academy

7:45 p.m. Steamboat Springs vs. Moffat County

Girls

2:45 p.m. Frederick vs. Battle Mountain

4:30 p.m. Moffat County vs. Prairie View

6:15 p.m. Steamboat Springs vs. Elizabeth

7:45 p.m. Eagle Valley vs. Discovery Canyon

Saturday

Boys

9 a.m. Battle Mountain vs. Moffat County

10:45 a.m. Northridge vs. Elizabeth

12:30 p.m. Steamboat Springs vs. Colorado Academy

2:15 p.m. Eagle Valley vs. Roosevelt

Girls

9 a.m. Elizabeth vs. Frederick

10:45 a.m. Discovery Canyon vs. Battle Mountain

12:30 p.m. Eagle Valley vs. Moffat County

2:15 p.m. Steamboat Springs vs. Prairie View

— The Steamboat Shoot Out was always a highlight, Michael Vandahl said. His days playing for Steamboat Springs High School wrapped up in 2008, and he wrapped up his time in the high school’s annual early season basketball tournament with a championship, winning in December 2007.

“It’s always something you look forward to,” he said. “It’s always a good preseason tournament with good teams.”

Now, looking at the tournament from an entirely different vantage point, as the head coach of the Sailors varsity boys basketball team, he said the weekend is still one to look forward to.



The tournament has changed from an eight-team bracket to a round-robin format. There’s no longer a team to be declared the winner, but there’s still plenty of good basketball to be had, and for both the Sailors’ boys and girls teams, that’s crucially important early this season.

The boys team opens its weekend of action Thursday night with a 6:15 p.m. game against Roosevelt. They’ll then play U.S. Highway 40 rival Moffat County at 7:45 p.m. Friday and finish up at 12:30 p.m. Saturday against Colorado Academy.



For Vandahl, the lineup makes for a great mix. There’s a good game against a Front Range team in Roosevelt, a fun rivalry that, he hopes, will have the gym hopping and a tough game against the 2015 Class 2A runner up, Colorado Academy.

“It’s always interesting to see how you play the first time you’re in front of a home crowd,” Vandahl said. “It’s different, because all of a sudden, you have your friends and family watching. We want to see if our team sticks together, stays as one. Are the guys still buying into their roles?”

It’s set to be an interesting weekend for the girls team, too, coach Mack Spitellie said.

The team starts at 7:45 p.m. Thursday against Discovery Canyon, plays at 6:15 p.m. Friday against Elizabeth and at 2:15 p.m. Saturday against Prairie View.

The Sailors enter 2-0, just as they did a year ago, but the team is hoping this year’s stint in the home tournament goes better than last year’s.

Last year, Steamboat had a big lead in the first quarter of its first game when starter Annie Osbourn went down with a season-ending knee injury. Steamboat scored just two points the rest of the game, a funk it rarely snapped out of the rest of the season as more injuries piled up.

This year, Spitellie said, will be different. Osbourn is back, still nursing the effects of that injury but cleared to play her first minutes of the season.

“We’re just excited, because we have everyone back, and all the younger kids got a lot of experience last year,” Spitellie said. “Annie being back gives us a great boost. We’re a better team than we were last year.”


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