No. 7 Fossil Ridge pushes past Rocky Mountain

The Fossil Ridge High School girls basketball team is on a roll.

The SaberCats took down Rocky Mountain 61-40 on Tuesday night, and Fossil Ridge has now won five in a row and nine of its last 10.

Here are three thoughts on Tuesday's game:

Fast start is enough — The SaberCats (11-3, 4-0 Front Range League) took control of the game right away, starting on a 12-0 run right off the tip. 

It proved vital. Fossil Ridge didn't have its best shooting night, but the SaberCats were strong defensively and scored enough every time Rocky Mountain threatened to make a run.

Ashley Steffeck led all scorers with 14, with 10 of them coming from the free throw line. Kaysen Hobbs scored 11, and Lauren Zwetzig and Reilly Dunn had eight each as the SaberCats had eight players score.

More:Fossil Ridge stifles Rocky Mountain to continue turnaround

Battling Lobos — Rocky Mountain (6-7, 1-3 FRL) once again found itself in an early hole, similar to a close loss last week to Fort Collins.

Rocky Mountain found footing after a tough first quarter and defended the high-powered SaberCats well in the second quarter. Rocky Mountain excelled in rebounding, dominating the glass at times, especially on the offensive end.

The Lobos just never found enough offense. Eight players scored, but none passed double figures. Julia Schlepp was a big second-quarter spark and Mikayla Eccher did the same in the third quarter and they tied for the team lead with eight. Savannah Warner had six in addition to excellence in rebounding. 

Eyes forward — The SaberCats, ranked No. 7 in Class 5A in the CHSAANow.com poll, are lining up for a run at the hotly contested FRL.

Next up is a massive test. Fossil Ridge plays at No. 5 Horizon on Friday, and the next three games are all against teams without a loss in league play. 

Rocky Mountain plays at Boulder at 7 p.m. Friday. The Lobos have had strong stretches within games and the season, and the battle now is for consistency. Rocky Mountain has strong post players and good guards and can challenge most teams when they're on their game.

Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle at twitter.com/Kevin_Lytle and at facebook.com/KevinSLytle.

(7) FOSSIL RIDGE 61, ROCKY MOUNTAIN 40

Fossil Ridge 12 13 21 15 — 61

Rocky Mountain 2 12 16 10 — 40

Fossil Ridge (11-3, 4-0) — Steffeck 14, Hobbs 11, Zwetzig 8, Dunn 8, Guzman 7, Hadad 5, J. Barela 4, Lang 4.

Rocky Mountain (6-7, 1-3) — Schlepp 8, Eccher 8, Warner 6, Towne 4, McDonald 4, Siclair 4, Bennett 4,