Lady Grizz battle through tough conference opening weekend

Freshman Sawyer Bassett scores 14 points and pulls down 15 rebounds in first start

The Rocky Mountain Lady Grizz faced a challenging opening weekend of conference play, hosting Greybull on Friday before traveling to Shoshoni on Saturday. Despite slow starts in both games and playing shorthanded, the Lady Grizz showed resilience and individual growth as they worked through adversity.

After scratching her cornea in practice on Thursday, senior standout Lauren Bassett was limited on Friday and did not play Saturday while recovering.

“She’s one of our best players and we missed her,” head coach Justin Moss said. “We’re hoping she’s able to be fully back this weekend.”

Friday’s home game against Greybull opened with the Lady Buffs coming out hot, jumping to a 14–1 early lead and maintaining control throughout a 44-24 win. Rocky Mountain trailed 28-12 at halftime and 40-17 after three quarters but continued to compete to the final buzzer, outscoring Greybull 7-4 in the fourth quarter.

“We faced some early adversity this weekend, getting off to slow starts in both games,” Moss said. “Against Greybull, we didn’t match their intensity, physicality or energy early, and that’s something we have to improve moving forward.”

Despite the early deficit, the Lady Grizz showed a balanced scoring effort. Kaysie Cooley led Rocky Mountain with 8 points, while Keylee Christiansen added 5 points and three assists. Halle Grandalen scored 5 points and battled inside, and Layla Gardner chipped in 1 point.

Rebounding was a bright spot, led by freshman Sawyer Bassett, who finished with 3 points and a team-high 10 rebounds, evenly split between offensive and defensive boards. Lauren Bassett added 2 points and eight rebounds in limited minutes as Rocky Mountain continued to battle on both ends of the floor.

Saturday’s road game at Shoshoni showed noticeable improvement, even after another slow opening quarter. The Wranglers opened with a 17-5 run, but Rocky Mountain responded with a strong second quarter, outscoring Shoshoni 16-14 to cut the deficit to 31–21 at halftime. The Lady Grizz stayed competitive throughout the second half, scoring 12 points in the third quarter and 16 in the fourth before falling 56-49.

“There were positives to build on in the Shoshoni game,” Moss said.

Making her first start of the season, Sawyer Bassett delivered a breakout performance, recording a double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds, including six offensive boards, to lead Rocky Mountain inside. The rebounding total marked a season high for Bassett.

Rocky Mountain again received scoring contributions throughout the lineup. Grandalen finished with 14 points, shooting 46 percent from the field, while Cooley added 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Leah Haslem contributed 7 points and two assists, and Gardner added five rebounds and three assists. The Lady Grizz finished with 45 total rebounds and 12 assists, showing continued growth in ball movement and effort.

Talking about Shoshoni’s star player, Moss said, “Defensively, we allowed Natalie Gilbertson to get comfortable from the perimeter,” adding, “We need to do a better job of closing out, contesting shots and forcing her off the three-point line.”

Despite the results, Moss said the weekend provided valuable lessons for his team.

“We will be pushed this weekend as we host conference opponent Thermopolis and then Big Horn,” he said.

The Lady Grizz will look to build on Saturday’s effort as they return home Friday to host Thermopolis, with JV games beginning at 4 p.m. and the varsity girls tipping off at 5:30 p.m. On Saturday, Rocky Mountain will host a second home game, welcoming top ranked Big Horn, with JV games starting at 12 p.m. and the varsity girls scheduled for 1:30 p.m.