DURANGO, Colo. – The Adams State Grizzlies Men's Basketball team bounced back in a big way this past weekend, after losing their first two games on the road last weekend. The Grizzlies participated in the Fort Lewis Skyhawk Basketball Tournament Friday and Saturday night, going up against NAIA schools Emrby-Riddle and Northern New Mexico. They were able to win both contests, and bring their record to .500 on the year.
 
Friday night as the Grizzlies prepared to take on Embry Riddle in Durango, they knew it would take a consistent team effort to start winning ballgames. A tightly contest game the whole way, the Grizzlies came away with more timely points and were ultimately able to come away with their first victory of the year and defeat Embry-Riddle, 79-73. Junior Kaelin Crane introduced himself as a star Friday night, dropping 32 points on 14 of 19 shooting. Last weekend, Crane appeared to be a complementary piece to the Grizzlies offense, but took the reigns as their top offensive scorer on the night. The supporting cast Friday had solid games as well, as Rickey Norris was inserted into the starting lineup and dropped 18 points to go along with a whopping 16 rebounds. Norris was an absolute force on the boards last year, and appears to be even better coming into 2020. Freshman phenom Rylan O'brien had himself another nice night for the second straight game, as he had 16 points that proved big for the Grizzlies. The Grizzlies rested up after the win, and prepared to take on Northern New Mexico the following day.
 
On Saturday night's matchup versus Northern New Mexico, the Grizzlies scratched out a win with a great all-around team effort that gave them a 74-71 victory. Guard Logan Longo led all scorers with 17 points off the bench. Szymon Walczak also had a nice night off the bench, as he dropped 16 points to go along with 7 boards. The senior guard was great as awlays on the defensive end with three steals in the game. Starters Rylan O'brien and Rickey Norris were also in double figures for the game, with O'brien contributing 13 points to the cause and Norris giving the Grizzlies 11 points to go along with his nine rebounds. Despite being down at half, the Grizzlies rallied back to defeat Northern New Mexico, who they will face again in Alamosa on Saturday night.
 
In Durango this weekend, it was clear that the Grizzlies can have fantastic scoring nights with a multitude of players. The question now is if they can put together good defensive performances in the RMAC this year lacking size under the basket. Sophomore big Jared Perry hopes to return from injury in January, and the Grizzlies hope that with the cast that they have now, it will be enough to weather the storm before Perry comes back. Coach Russ Caton's bunch played hard basketball this weekend, and with it being early, they hope to continue to find their rhythm and have a successful 2020 season. They will be back in action Saturday night for their home opener versus Northern New Mexico at 7 PM from Plachy Hall Gymnasium.