LMS cagers struggle against Worland and Powell

As the conference tournaments approach, the Lovell Middle School boys basketball squads played Worland and Powell this week.

The seventh graders struggled against Powell Monday at home. The Lovell A team lost 52-15, and the Lovell B team fell 28-7.

“These were our roughest games,” coach Collin McArthur said. “Between sick kids and not running what we have gone over in practice, we really struggled.”

Dax Mangus led the A team with 10 points. Dallas Romero and Brhyson Henton both scored 2, and Tre Clark added 1. For the B team, Henton led with 4 points, and Clark added 2, Kayan Owens 1.

Thursday at home, the Bulldogs dropped a pair of tight contests against Worland, with the A team falling 40-37 and the B team losing by just two points, 32-30.

“We need to be better at working together as a team and utilizing all our strengths,” McArthur said. “Hopefully we can turn it around next week vs. Cody and play like I know we are capable of.”

Eighth grade

In the eighth-grade games this week, the Lovell A team fell at Worland Thursday, 44-16, and lost at Powell Monday, 36-18.

Worland led the Bulldogs 17-13 at halftime Thursday, then pulled away with a 27-3 second-half advantage. Dane Wilson led the Bulldogs with 10 points, and Bradley Mickelson added 6.

Second-half blues again cost the Bulldogs Monday in Powell. Powell led 14-12 at halftime but outscored Lovell 22-6 in the second half. Mickelson scored 8 for the Bulldogs, Wilson 7, Brock Butler 2 and Landen Peterson 1.

The B team fell to Worland 42-13 and Powell 34-13. Jackson Sanders scored 5 points at Worland, Jordan Mangus and Camden Koziol 3 each, Miles Bischoff 2. Connor Harris scored 6 points at Powell, Peterson, Gage Bair and Mason Kitchen 2 apiece.

The middle school teams are off the rest of the week and weekend and will play Cody for the final regular season games on Tuesday at 4:15 p.m., with the seventh grade in Cody and the eighth grade at home. Tournaments follow on February 21.