Pat Rooney
As with any fledgling program, the Discovery Canyon girls basketball team has suffered through its share of growing pains.
Naturally, head coach Danelle Rivera would prefer to witness a little more progress. Still, Rivera and her players understand that a few painful setbacks simply are part of the maturation process.
Without any player on the roster older than the junior class, the Thunder is attempting to set positive building blocks wherever it can find them.
On the plus side, Discovery Canyon already has surpassed last season’s win total of five, compiling seven wins through the first 10 games of the season. However, things have not improved much for the Thunder within the Pioneer league.
Since posting its seventh win of the season — a 56-26 thrashing of Cripple Creek-Victor on Jan. 16 — DCC has struggled in league play. The Thunder lost its next six games, including five league contests, a couple of which were narrow, heartbreaking setbacks.
“We’re definitely still in that growing and building stage,” Rivera said. “Our group had great dedication and made great progress last spring and summer, and I think that has been good for them. We really have set the tone for the kind of program and the kind of work we are going to do. It was also good for our younger girls to see, so they can see how we are going to do things.
“We’ve been close… It’s just a matter of getting that experience. We have some great athletes, but we are trying to build those great athletes into great basketball players. The losses we’ve had have not been extreme… we have been competitive.”
Play in the Pioneer League has been one continuous heartbreak for the Thunder. But Discovery Canyon has soldiered on despite the frustration. The Thunder opened league play with a five-point loss against Vista Ridge (14-2) and also suffered a two-point loss at Legend.
“Those games that we have lost that were close… that is a confidence thing,” Rivera said. “I think it is a matter of getting one under our belt, as one of those ‘underdog wins,’ that would be a catalyst for turning the corner. With youth, you definitely are dealing with the attitude of winning. The physical skills, those you can practice. The mental, that comes with experience.”
The Thunder’s athletic junior class includes dogged defender Autumn Surage, a superb all-around athlete who also is a standout in soccer and Junior Olympic handball. Mackenzie Burns and Mariel Barner are developing into a pair of dynamic guards, while Katie Spalding is beginning to assert herself as a solid post presence.
In addition to gaining an extra year of experience, all of those players will have to accelerate their learning curves in a hurry, given that the Thunder will be moving into the rugged Class 4A Colorado Springs Metro League next season.
“To jump from 3A the last two years into one of the top three 4A leagues in the state, we have to make a huge jump,” Rivera said. “It’s about building a foundation. This is a process, and these girls are a big part of that foundation. They understand where we are heading.”