RMMS Girls Basketball doesn’t slow down heading into conference tournament

The Rocky Mountain Middle School girls basketball teams wrapped up a busy stretch of three away games with mixed results and strong individual performances as they head into the final week of the season and Saturday’s conference tournaments.

November 24–25 at Greybull Middle School

The Grizzlies closed out the week before Thanksgiving with three solid wins:

A game: Rocky 21, Greybull 15

B game: Rocky 37, Greybull 18

C game: Rocky 33, Greybull 6

Coach Winland said it was great to head into the break with momentum, noting, “The A game was ugly at times, but I’ll take an ugly win over a pretty loss any day.” He highlighted Kate Crosby, who sealed the game with four clutch free throws in the fourth quarter.

In the B game, Josie Loyning lit up the scoreboard with 29 points by “seeing the court and taking what the defense gave her,” Winland said. The C team also rolled to a big victory.

December 1 at Powell Middle School

The Grizzlies returned from break to face a tough Powell program:

A game: Powell 39, Rocky 19

B game: Powell 38, Rocky 9

C game: Rocky 23, Powell 9

“The girls put in the hard work and played well together,” Winland said. “They did not back down. I am proud of them all.”

Coach Julie Winland added that scoring was difficult against Powell’s tough seventh-grade defense, but the girls continued to compete and improve.

This was also the final game for the C team. Coach Maddy Grandalen reflected on their season, saying the group transformed from “athletes just trying to find their footing into a confident, supportive and united team.” She praised their heart, growth and enthusiasm, adding, “I can’t wait to see what they do in their future.”

The C team finished with a 7-2 record.

December 2 at Shoshoni Middle School

A game: Shoshoni 25, Rocky 16

B game: Rocky 30, Shoshoni 14

In the A game, Shoshoni’s pressure disrupted Rocky’s rhythm early. Coach Winland said, “We dug ourselves a hole in the first quarter and had a hard time getting out.” With this loss, Rocky and Thermopolis are tied and will settle conference tournament seeding with a coin flip.

The B team responded with a strong second quarter and pulled away for a convincing win. 

The young Lady Grizz will split up for postseason play, with the A squad hosting their conference tournament. They will enter as the No. 4 seed after a disappointing loss to Shoshoni and a coin toss that didn’t go their way. The B and C squads will travel to Burlington for their jamboree. Games begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday.

“It will be a competitive weekend at the conference tournament,” Winland said.