Lady Grizz frosh show potential in loss

The Rocky Moutain Lady Grizzly freshman squad opened the 2024-25 season in Powell on December 19, and though the Lady Grizz came out on the short end, they showed promise, coach Jamie Cooley said.

Powell won the game 49-35.

“Having only three freshmen and three sophomores this year, and with limited JV games, we decided to turn some of our freshman games into JV games, bringing in some of our much-needed juniors to help us out. 

The team faced a challenging matchup against Powell, Cooley said, noting, “This game started out quick; the Powell girls came out ready to play hard. I don’t think our girls quite expected that level of play right off the bat. Despite a slow start, the team showed determination, battling back in the second half.”

Powell came out strong in the first quarter, outscoring Rocky 25-7. The second quarter was more competitive, but Powell edged Rocky 9-7 to lead 34-14 at halftime.

In the second half, the Rocky JVs turned things around, Cooley said.

“We outscored Powell in both the third and fourth quarters, narrowing the deficit with strong defense and better ball control. Despite our efforts, we couldn’t get it done, and the final score was 49-35 in favor of Powell.”

Halle Grandalen led the team in scoring with 17 points. Kaysie Cooley contributed 5 points, while Brooklyn Larsen and Kennedy Brimhall each added 4, Layla Gardner 3 and Emma Sponsel 2.

“Though the game ended in a loss, I was excited to see our resilience and ability to rally, plus all the effort we put into our second half,” Cooley said. “We have a lot of good things coming from this group of girls. They are great girls who are working hard to get better every day.”

The Lady Grizz will return to action Monday, Jan. 13, traveling to Greybull for a 6:15 p.m. tip-off, then will hit the road again on Tuesday, Jan. 14, for a game in Burlington, also at 6:15 p.m.