FORT MORGAN — Talk about wild swings in a basketball game.
    Fort Lupton scored 13 points in a row in the first quarter against Fort Morgan Friday night in a Colorado 7 League girls basketball game.
    The Mustangs held the Bluedevils scoreless in the third quarter and built a nine-point lead by early in the fourth quarter.
    Fort Lupton’s Francesca Watson, who scored a game-high 21 points, scored 10 of her team’s last 12 points in the fourth quarter to force an overtime period.

    But in the end, Fort Morgan had a bit more in reserve than the Bluedevils, and the Mustangs won the game 52-48. Fort Morgan’s Christina Frick and Alexis Bills scored back-to-back baskets in the overtime to give the Mustangs the lead for good.
     Watson hit a 3-pointer with a minute to play in the extra session to cut the deficit to three points. But that’s as close as Fort Lupton came to the Mustangs in the extra period.
    Miranda Kruse was the Bluedevils’ other offensive weapon. She scored 20 points.        “Offensively, we just couldn’t get out of the gate in the third quarter,” coach Joseph Gutierrez said. “The first half, we were really good. We held them to eight points in the third quarter. But if we could get a couple of buckets.“
    “We need to be patient more on offense,” Kruse said. “We had some mistakes, and we know what we need to do. My team backed each other up. We’ll get ‘em next time.”
    Allie Schneider led Fort Morgan with 14 points. Lauren Staley chipped in with 12.
    “The girls played real well defensively,” Gutierrez said. “We just didn’t have a real big plan for that #20 (Schneider). She moves well without the ball and with the ball. You have to put someone on her to keep up with her. We just weren’t ready for her defensively.”
     “It was an exciting game,” Kruse said. “We couldn’t finish it. We improve every day. “We know what we need to do to get better.”
    “We fought all the way through,” Gutierrez said. “The girls were ready. We moved the ball well. We’re making some things happen. We executed every possession we had. Offensively, we played well. We missed some key opportunities.”

Contact Sports Editor Steve Smith at sports@metrowestnewspapers.com.