Grizzlies sweep Greybull and Powell in ‘C’ games

By: 
David Peck

The Rocky Mountain “C” basketball teams – mostly freshmen - played some local rivals this week, meeting Greybull Monday and Powell Tuesday.

The Rocky boys stretched their winning streak to six games with wins Monday and Tuesday. The Grizz topped Greybull at home Monday, 40-31, then traveled to Powell Tuesday and edged the Panthers 45-43 in overtime.

Monday, the Grizz led Greybull 26-24 after three quarters, then outscored the Buffs 14-7 in the fourth to win by nine points. Evin Clendenen was a force inside, finishing with 18 points. Jaxon Hayes and Jaxson Miller added 7 points each, Cooper Ward 4, Kreegan Jones 3 and Gary Gardner 1. Clendenen pulled down eight rebounds, Ward six and Hayes five. Hayes added three assists and three steals.

“Our Greybull game was good for some of our guys to step up into different roles,” head coach Taylor Winland said. “We got off to a slow start, and our defense really stepped up after the first quarter, which got our momentum going. It was a great team win that a lot of guys contributed toward.”

Rocky and Powell faced off in a thriller Tuesday evening. The Grizz led 24-19 at halftime and 32-25 after three quarters, only to see Powell battle back and outscore the Grizz 18-11 to send the game into overtime at
43-all. Although the Grizzlies missed 10 free throws in the overtime period, Clendenen hit a single basket while the Grizz held Powell scoreless to win 45-43.

Clendenen poured in 20 points Tuesday, and Cooper Winland added 10 points, Miller 7, Ward 4, Hayes 3 and Leland Hetland 1.

Clendenen and Winland were monsters on the boards, snaring 17 and 15 rebounds, respectively. Ward dished for five assists, and Miller recorded four steals.

“This was a super fun, competitive game,” Coach Winland said. “Right from the start, it was back and forth. A lot of guys contributed to this win in areas where it does not show up in the stat sheet, such as being in the right spot of the defense and diving on the floor. It was a fun game to be a part of. Credit to Powell, as they hit big 3s at just the right time. We did just enough in overtime to come out with the win; I’m so happy for the boys.

Lady Grizzlies

The Rocky girls C team traveled to Greybull Monday and dropped a close contest to the Lady Buffs, 35-32. Trailing 10-6 after the first quarter, the Lady Grizz outscored the home team 10-2 in the second to lead 16-12 at halftime. Greybull edged Rocky 10-9 in the third quarter and won the fourth 13-7 to take the win.

Halle Grandalen led Rocky Mountain with 10 points, and Charlee Welling added 9, Layla Gardner 5, Leah Haslem and Brooklyn Larsen 3 apiece, Emma Sponsel 2.

“Our girls worked hard, and we controlled most of the game,” coach Jamie Cooley said. “Greybull was ready for our strong posts. When we would get the ball inside, they would all collapse on our posts. This gave our guards more opportunities to shoot, and I am so glad that they really started looking to shoot and drive.

“Our game came down to the wire, and we ended up losing by three. We learned some great things. Being put into new situations we haven’t seen before is always a really good learning experience. We were down a girl last night and played with six girls. Kennedy (Brimhall) was out with an injury, but we are hoping she is back Friday.

A scheduled game at Powell Tuesday was cancelled.

The Lady Grizz C team will host Burlington Tuesday at 6:15 p.m. while the boys play at Burlington at the same time. 

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