42 points: Moss breaks school record

Rocky Mountain’s post-Christmas Class 3A gauntlet finally came to an end at the Big Horn Basin Classic in Worland and Thermopolis Friday and Saturday, leaving the Grizz licking their wounds before pounding their lone 2A team in the New Year.

In Worland Friday, the Grizzlies fell to Cody 45-30 and Worland 61-32. They met Powell Friday afternoon in Thermopolis in a rematch of a January 8 game and fell to the Panthers 63-40 before taking their frustrations out on the Class 2A Wind River Cougars 56-34 behind 42 points from sophomore sensation Mason Moss, believed to be a school record for RMHS.

“We were just simply overmatched,” head coach Pat Winland said of the first three opponents. “We do not have the physicality or the experience to play teams like that. They’re starting five seniors for the most part. You’re playing sophomores versus seniors.”

Cody 45, Rocky Mtn. 30

The Grizz got off to a slow start against a very physical Cody Broncs squad Friday afternoon in Worland, hitting just one basket in the first quarter as Cody built a 10-5 lead. Each team scored 9 points in the second quarter as Cody led 19-14 at halftime. Cody gradually pulled ahead in the second half, outscoring Rocky 26-16 in the half.

“We kept it competitive for, I would say, the first two and a half quarters,” Winland said.

“Then Cody applied greater pressure in the middle of the third quarter. We did not handle it well, and that blew the game open. Neither team shot it very well.

“But the kids did battle, and I guess it was another chance for Cooper (Winland) and Evin (Clendenen) to play against a quality big man, the 6-7 kid from Cody, Sauers.”

Jaxon Hayes led the Grizz with 9 points, and Moss added 8, Clendenen 6, Winland 4 and Jaxx May 3. Moss led the team with seven rebounds, five assists and three steals. Clendenen grabbed five rebounds.

Worland 61, Rocky Mtn. 32

Game two Friday night was a disaster for the Grizz, as the Warriors started the game with a 19-0 run before leading at the first-quarter break, 21-2.

“We couldn’t buy a basket, and they couldn’t miss,” Winland said. “We had looks, open looks. It was kind of a theme for our whole weekend, I would say.”

With only a Cooper Winland basket in the first quarter, the Grizz added four more in the second but trailed 34-10 at halftime. The Warriors outscored Rocky 27-22 in a more competitive second half.

Winland led the Grizz with 15 points, and Moss added 12, Hayes 3 and Clendenen 2. Winland and Moss pulled down five rebounds each, Kellan Jackson and Clendenen four apiece.

Powell 63, Rocky Mtn. 40

The sharpshooting Powell Panthers hit 12 three-pointers Saturday afternoon in Thermopolis as they pulled away from the Grizzlies to win by 23. Powell was hot early and hit four treys in the first quarter while building an 18-13 lead. Powell edged Rocky 10-8 in the second to lead 28-21 at halftime, then doubled up the Grizz 20-10 in the third and also won the fourth, 15-9.

Powell shot 33 three-pointers in the game compared to Rocky’s 10.

“We played a little bit better against Powell and made it competitive for the most part, but again in the second half our inability to make wide open shots cost us,” Winland said.

Moss scored 24 points to lead the Grizz, and Clendenen added 10, Winland 4 and Jackson 2. Clendenen led with eight rebounds, and Winland had five boards, Moss four. Moss added four assists.

Rocky 56, Wind River 34

The Grizz finally played a Class 2A opponent when they met the Wind River Cougars Saturday afternoon, though it wasn’t easy to start with. Wind River led 14-10 after the first quarter and 22-19 early in the second, but the Grizzlies finished the first half with a 28-0 run to lead 50-19 before Wind River finally scored a basket late in the third quarter. Rocky won the second quarter 18-5 and the third 22-2. Wind River came back a bit in the fourth, 13-6.

Moss went off on the Cougars, scoring a school-record 42 points while hitting 17 of 26 shots from the field, five of 10 from beyond the arc, and going 3-3 from the foul line.

“Mason got the hot hand, and kids were looking for him,” Winland said. “I can’t think of one bad shot that he took. Besides that, nobody else was able to score. The rest of the team went five for 26. … We were happy to get a win at the end, going into conference play.”

After Moss’ 42, Winland scored 6, May 5, Jackson 2 and Clendenen 1. Moss grabbed nine rebounds, Winland eight, Jackson seven and Clendenen five. Hayes led with four assists.

Conference games

The Grizzlies will open conference play at home Friday night, meeting Greybull at 4 (JV) and 7:30 p.m. at the RMHS Gym. They will then travel to Shoshoni Saturday for tap times at 1 and 4 p.m.

Winland said he expects the Buffs (6-8) to employ a 2-2-1 half-court press, falling into a 2-3 zone. They are a senior-led team, he added, and like the Grizz, the Buffs went 1-3 at the Big Horn Basin Classic. The two teams are similar except in the number of seniors, the coach said.

Shoshoni is 9-3 but hasn’t had the strength of schedule the Grizzlies have, Winland said, adding that anything could happen this weekend, depending on how each team plays.

Junior varsity

The Rocky JVs fell to Cody Friday afternoon, 38-22, Worland that evening, 63-32, and Wyoming Indian on Saturday morning, 54-40.

Jaxson Sponsel led the Grizz against Cody with 11 points, and Cooper Ward added 4 points, May 3 and Travis Crosby and Jaxson Miller 2 each. Against Worland, May scored 13, Kreegan Jones 6, Sponsel, Lukas Miller and Ward 3 apiece, Jayden Scheeler and Crosby 2 each.

In the Wyoming Indian game, May scored 12, Ward and Jaxson Miller 8, Sponsel 6, Jones 4 and Crosby 2.