Lady Grizz win four of five to start the season

The Rocky Mountain Lady Grizzlies forged some early-season momentum with three wins at the combined Coal Miners and Herder Classic tournaments, followed by a win over intra-district rival Burlington at home Tuesday night.

Rocky started the Coal Miners Tournament and the season in Gillette Friday, defeating Sundance 50-40 at Twin Spruce School. After driving to Wright, they clobbered the host Wright Lady Panthers 63-38.

Saturday in Glenrock at the Herder Classic, the Lady Grizz fell to host Wright 43-34, then crushed Kaycee 64-21.

Sundance

The Lady Grizz built a 23-19 halftime lead Friday against Sundance, then outscored Sundance 27-21 in the second half. Coach Justin Moss said the turning point came with three minutes left in the third when Halle Grandalen converted a transition layup on an assist from Lauren Bassett, Kaysie Cooley knocked down a kick-out three-pointer on a pass from Tarynn Schoening, a free throw by Bassett and another weak-side trey by Cooley on an assist from Schoening.

The outburst, along with holding the Bulldogs to one-of-seven shooting during the three-minute stretch gave the Grizz the cushion they needed for the win.

“We have worked on playing with more pace, so it’s kinda cool that the start of our run came with a transition bucket,” Moss said.

Bassett led the Lady Grizz with 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Cooley and Schoening each hit two threes to spread the floor, finishing with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Grandalen added 6 points, Shelby Wambeke 4.

“We have worked on getting paint touches and getting inside-out threes,” Moss said. “It was fun to see us do some of those things to start the season.”

Bassett pulled down a team high 13 rebounds, Grandalen seven and Schoening and Sharlotte Hanusa five each. Cooley and Wambeke dished off four assists each, and Schoening recorded seven steals.

Wright

The Lady Grizzlies disappointed the home crowd Friday night by clobbering Wright 63-38. Rocky Mountain outscored Wright in all four quarters, 19-14, 10-7, 14-8 and 20-8.

“We made a couple of adjustments defensively at halftime, and that really paid dividends,” Moss said. “On the offensive end, Wright was having a hard time trying to contain Bassett, and it led to a lot of open looks for the girls around her. This time it was Sharlotte Hanusa being rewarded with multiple open looks leading to 10 points.”

Rocky again shot well from outside, going 5-11 from beyond the arc with Schoening and Keylee Christiansen hitting two each and Cooley hitting one. Bassett again led the Lady Grizz with 19 points. Christiansen and Hanusa scored 10 apiece, Wambeke 9, Schoening 6, Cooley 5 and Grandalen and Emma Sponsel 2 each.

Bassett finished with nine rebounds and four assists, and Christiansen had six rebounds and three steals. Hanusa recorded four steals, Wambeke five assists.

Glenrock

Rocky hung tough with Class 3A Glenrock Saturday morning as the Herders gradually gained separation. Glenrock led 14-13 after the first quarter, 22-19 at halftime and 34-28 after three, then outscored the Grizz 9-6 in the final quarter to win 43-34.

Weary legs and a physical Glenrock team led to the Lady Grizz shooting a season low 32% from the field Saturday, Moss said.

“We had our opportunities, but we had a tough time getting shots to fall,” he said. “We had some good looks but failed to capitalize on our opportunities. We had three single-digit quarters in this one, which has been rare for the Lady Grizz this season. We also missed nine free throws.”

Bassett again led the Lady Grizz with 15 points and Wambeke chipped in with 6, Schoening 5, Christiansen 4, Grandalen 3 and Hanusa 1.

Bassett grabbed eight rebounds, Grandalen six, while Schoening finished with five steals, Wambeke and Bassett four apiece. Christiansen led with three assists.

Kaycee

The Lady Grizz powered past Kaycee Saturday evening, 64-21. Rocky built a 33-16 halftime lead and blew the game wide open by outscoring the Lady Bucs 23-0 in the third quarter.

The Lady Grizz dominated all phases of the game, leading to a lopsided win for Rocky Mountain. Three players scored in double figures as the Lady Grizz turned a 17-point lead into an early fourth quarter running clock.

“Shelby Wambeke had an excellent weekend creating tempo for our team and creating multiple shots for our team,” Moss said. “Points aren’t the only stat that makes a successful team, however, it was great to see her get going in the scoring department in this one. Another player that stuck out this weekend was Halle Grandalen.  She continued to get more physical and assertive as the tournament went on.”

In the scoring department Bassett led with 19 points, and Grandalen had 12, Wambeke 11, Schoening 7, Hanusa and Christiansen 4 each, Cooley 3 and Charlee Welling and Layla Gardner 2 apiece.

Senior Brittly Boettcher missed the weekend with an injury.

“It’s tough to see a senior not be able to compete in a game they love, however, we used it as an opportunity for some of the other players to step up and receive longer varsity minutes,” Moss said. “I wouldn’t say it’s the ‘next girl up’ mentality because Britt is a heck of a player to step in for.  However, it will suit us well and add depth to our roster with extended varsity minutes for our roster.

“Overall, it was a solid weekend. We were able to beat number three Sundance, who is a contender at State every year. We played with a lot of heart and hustle and played together. We met our rebounding goal in all but one game and our ball security goal in all but one game, both of them against a physical Glenrock team.

“Lauren Bassett was a beast this weekend averaging 17.8 points per game and 10.5 rebounds, averaging a double-double.”

Burlington win

Boettcher returned to the lineup Tuesday and scored 14 points to propel the Lady Grizzlies to a 54-41 win over rival Burlington. The Grizzlies gradually pulled away at home, leading 12-9 after the first quarter, 25-17 at halftime and 41-25 after three.

Schoening added 11 points, Wambeke 10, Cooley 9, Bassett 6 and Hanusa and Grandalen 2 apiece.

“It was great to have all of our team available,” Moss said. “It was evident how many quality players we can run out on the floor. It was a solid win against a scrappy Burlington team.”

Shoshoni tournament

The Lady Grizz will head south this weekend to compete in the Wrangler Invitational in Shoshoni, meeting Lyman at noon Friday, Dubois Saturday at 11:30 a.m. and Cokeville Saturday at 2:30 p.m.

There is no junior varsity component in Shoshoni.

“The schedule doesn’t get easier this weekend with the Lady Grizz playing two top five ranked 1A teams and an undefeated 3A team,” Moss said. “Our ADs do a great job of putting us up against tough competition throughout the year. It always seems to pay dividends as we move into conference play and on to our culminating events.”