After countless battles in the driveway, in practice, or at Durango High School girls basketball assistant coach Viki Thyfault’s house, Kyle and Mason Rowland will face each other as Colorado College plays at Colorado Mesa in a women’s college basketball exhibition game on Saturday.
It will be the first and last time the sisters face each other on different teams in an official setting. Colorado Mesa and Colorado College will face off today at 6 p.m. in Brownson Arena in Grand Junction.
Kyle is a senior at Division III Colorado College and Mason is a sophomore at Division II Colorado Mesa. The sisters played two years together on the Durango girls basketball team.
“I’m interested to see how it’s going to go,” Mason said. “We’ve only ever played together as teammates. We’ll see how it goes. I’m excited and I’m a little nervous. But overall it will be a good experience.”
The Demons combined to go 21-19 in Mason and Kyle’s two years together on the girls basketball team. The 2020-2021 season, Kyle’s senior year and Mason’s sophomore year, was shortened because of COVID-19. Durango made the state playoffs both years.
Mason said Kyle has pushed her throughout her life to be the best basketball player and athlete she could be. The sisters also played volleyball and soccer together throughout high school. Mason said they never took the opportunity to play together for granted.
The sisters and the entire Rowland family have been competitive as the sisters have grown up, according to Kyle. She’s excited for the unique opportunity to compete against her sibling in a collegiate setting.
“Mason will put up a super impressive stat line, but the thing that continuously impresses me is just her work ethic,” Kyle said. “I don't think you're going to find a player who plays with more heart and more grit than Mason does. I have yet to see her play in a collegiate game. I'm excited to see her hard work pay off, even if that means I am the one playing defense on her. It's a really unique thing and she deserves all the attention she gets. She's pushed me so far to be like the athlete I am today.”
Kyle is entering her senior season at Colorado College after she played 28 games as a junior and started 10. She averaged 15.5 minutes per game, 1.6 points per game, 1.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. Colorado College went 20-8 last year and lost in its conference tournament. Kyle said she’s always been a defensive-oriented player. This summer, she worked on her offensive game with Mason and Thyfault at Thyfault’s house.
Mason goes into her sophomore season at Colorado Mesa after averaging 14.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg and 1.8 apg as a freshman. She was the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year and Second-Team All-RMAC last season. Colorado Mesa went 25-7 last year and made it to the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament. Mason said she worked over the summer on extending her range, improving her pullup jump shot and seeing the floor better.
Both Kyle and Mason acknowledged their coaches had them in mind when putting this exhibition together. They’re excited for their parents, Greg and Brady, to see them compete against each other in one place after years of splitting up to watch Kyle and Mason in different places.
To celebrate the occasion and help lower their parents’ stress levels, Kyle and Mason got their parents a split jersey. The back has Rowland and Kyle’s number 24. The front has Mason’s number 15 and a combination of the Colorado College Tiger mascot and the Colorado Mesa Maverick mascot.
It will surely be a mix of emotions for Greg and Brady as Kyle and Mason put a mix of moves on each other in their first and last meeting as opponents.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
