Cory Hitchcock wants the Palisade High School boys basketball team to be at its best in January.

And with a team full of kids seeing their first varsity time — ever — it’s important for he and the players to keep that in mind after the Bulldogs fell to Castle View 61-52 on Friday on the second day of the Warrior Challenge at Central.

The Bulldogs looked significantly better than they did in their 50-31 loss to Moffat County on Thursday. But they went through cold spells on offense, and struggled to keep up with the Sabercats’ versatility on defense.

“They were a lot better tonight … A lot of guys were playing their first game last night under those lights, so they were a little nervous … You watch us last night and you’d think we were the worst team in Colorado, so I’m proud of these guys for doing a 180,” Hitchcock said. “If we played Castle View last night, we would get blown out. If we played Moffat County tonight, we would have won.”


The brightest light for Palisade (0-2) came from 6-foot-5 junior newcomer Luke Fay and his 30 points. He led the team with 13 points on Thursday.

“He can score inside and out. He does a good job reading the defense and finding the open guy. They may double him and he can pass to one of his teammates,” Hitchcock said. “On defense, he’s a great rim protector … I enjoy coaching him and he’s a great addition to our program.”

Fay was on the Fruita Monument junior varsity team last season before joining Palisade. Hitchcock lauded him for his scoring ability and court vision.

“The defense is a lot different than Fruita’s and there’s more diversity of plays here,” Fay said. “I feel pretty good (about learning the system) but I still have a ways to go.”

The soft-spoken Fay lets his play do the talking — and, boy, did it speak volumes Friday. As the Bulldogs was largely cold late in the first quarter and into the second, Castle View went on a 12-0 run with four-straight 3s — each one appearing easier than the last.

Down 27-13, the Bulldogs went on a 12-1 run. Fay scored 12 of Palisade’s 17 points in the quarter, highlighted by a deep elbow 3-pointer before the buzzer. The offense eventually stalled in the fourth quarter, though, highlighting Palisade’s need to have a more dynamic offense.

Lucas Perry was second on the Bulldogs with 11 points. No other player had more than four points. The Sabercats (1-1) had three players who scored double digits, led by Owen Clarke’s 16 points. The ‘Dogs and ‘Cats rained 3s, combining for nine in the game.

For Hitchcock and his assistants, who saw the team overcome a slow start on the way to a Western Slope League title last season, they’re trying to strike the delicate balance of accountability and understanding with a young team.

“It’s going to be a process, there are going to be bumps in the road. I need to be patient as a coach. This is not an experienced team, so I can’t always be yelling and need to be more understanding,” Hitchcock said. “We got a freshman point guard, we got a lot of guys learning our system. So I’m proud of these guys for learning how to respond. Our motto is to get one percent better every day, and we got one percent better today.”


