The Greeley Central Wildcats defeated the Greeley West Spartans 75-50 in a heated rivalry matchup on January 15th at Greeley Central High School. The gym was packed with fans and created an energetic atmosphere for one of the most anticipated games of the season. 

From tip-off, Greeley Central set the tone of the game with aggressive defense and fast-paced offense, which was maintained the whole night. Despite the lead, the Spartans had great moments of resilience, however, it was still not enough.

Junior Zavier Montelongo reflected on the challenges Greeley West encountered as they lost senior captain Zaiden Montelongo to an injury. “Losing an important player threw everyone off, and we are trying to create chemistry with new players,” Montelongo said. 

That was shown through the game as well. Despite the loss, senior Wyatt Edwards spoke on the value of the team’s younger players. “Even though we played hard, and we still fell short, we have good younger players that have our back,” Edwards said. “They’re gaining good experience now and will get that win back from Central next year, we just need to stay positive for the rest of our season.”

The Spartans will use this loss as a learning opportunity to stay focused as the season goes on.