Seniors Matthew Angelo and Kyler Crump are hoping to be the kind of duo that can help lead Mead hoops to a strong second half of the season.

Getting back to .500 with a win at Silver Creek Friday night was an important step.

Last season, Angelo led the Mavericks at 15.7 points per game as part of a nice one-two scoring punch with grad and reigning Longmont Times-Call player of the year Dominic McLawrence.

And of late, he’s really found his offensive stride, averaging more than 20 points in the six games since the New Year. In a 65-41 win over the Raptors, he hit three 3s, all six of his free throws and finished with 23 points.

Beside him, it’s been breakout senior Crump who’s led the team in scoring for much of the year. Mostly coming off the bench a year ago, Crump has embraced a much heftier role through 12 games as his season-low five points on Friday paled in comparison to his 18-point scoring average.

Both of them will likely need to continue to produce on the offensive end if the Mavericks hope to fare well in the newly formed 6A/5A/4A Granite Peaks League. Each of their next three league games — Monarch, Frederick and Erie — are against teams currently above .500.

As the seniors said, though: their roles are more about helping the collective effort.

“We just need to be us,” Angelo said. “Coach (Darin) Reese also harps on that in practice and before every single game, and even at halftime. That’s all it is. Two words — ‘Be Us.’”

Friday’s win was dominated by Angelo. He scored 14 of his team’s first 18 points to guide the Mavericks (6-6, 1-1 GPL) to an 11-point halftime lead. Then after the break, he had seven of their first 11 as they pushed the lead into the 20s by late in the third.

With the game in hand, Angelo and Crump sat early in the fourth.

“My role is the energy role,” said Crump, who returned to the lineup after missing a game with an ankle injury. “And that’s not just me. That’s everybody. Everybody is always in good spirits, even when we’re down. But, yeah, I just need to (continue to) bring the energy.”

The Mavericks have now won two straight — beating Riverdale Ridge on Wednesday — after opening 2025 with three losses in four games. In Friday’s win, George Hubert, who is another senior with an expanded role this winter, added 13 points.

The Raptors (6-3, 0-2), meanwhile, have lost three straight since starting 6-0.

Coach Bob Banning returned just one varsity player from last season in Luke Schmeeckle, but even Schmeeckle has yet to play this season as he continues to recover after tearing his ACL in last year’s playoffs.

So, while Friday’s 24-point loss was tough, there’s still plenty of optimism surrounding the Raptors’ start.

Banning said he is eager to see how his inexperienced group develops through the second half of the season. He is expecting to get Schmeeckle back in the coming weeks.

“I had 11 seniors last year, so Luke is the only experienced player back,” Banning said. “This is basically a JV team that’s playing against pretty good ball clubs. There are times we show great things. And there’s a lot of room for improvement. And I think they will.”

Mavericks girls’ team wins

Mead swept the night’s doubleheader as its girls beat Silver Creek, 79-27.

Maddy Wright led the Mavericks (11-2, 3-0 GPL) with 12 points. Darby Haley, Madi Clark and Taylor Gordon each had 10.

Mead outscored the Raptors 26-2 in the second quarter and led 51-11 at halftime. The win for the 2024 semifinals team comes three days after it held on to beat Legacy and 6A player of the year candidate Oliva Mortensen, 53-50. Silver Creek (2-7, 0-2) was again without leading scorer Izzy Spagnoletti, who’s been out since Dec. 10.

In the loss, the Raptors got 13 points from Bella Ayer and 12 from Avery White.

On Tuesday, Mead travels to Monarch, while Silver Creek is at Horizon. At each, the girls play at 5:30 p.m., followed by the boys at 7 p.m.