Lady Cats play at home Friday and Saturday

The Lady Bobcats hosted a make-up game against the Lady Buffs of Buffalo last Tuesday, losing on their home court, 34-73.

Head coach Cory Sova said it was an "ugly first half." The Lady Buffs were in the lead, 44-10 at halftime.

The girls came out much better in the second half and were competitive, but Sova said they just can't dig themselves out of a big hole.

Ashley McPhie got on track the second half, hitting her last five field goal attempts, three of which were three-pointers and were nothing but net. She scored all 14 of her points in the fourth quarter and grabbed four rebounds.

Haley McDermott had eight points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Tahja Hunt got after it defensively and snagged five steals. McKenna Bomengen had three rebounds and three steals. Sesi Jensen dropped in two points along with Dani Jo Pebbles.

"I thought the girls came out the second half and played with much more intensity," Sova said. "This was another lesson that our girls will learn from. I thought they came back to practice Wednesday and had a good, hard-working demeanor.

"We also watched some video and on Thursday cleaned up some execution issues, and this carried over to our Rawlins game."

The girls traveled to Rawlins on Friday, and although they lost their second game of the week, it was much closer with the Lady Outlaws coming out on top, 50-46.

The first half saw the Lady Cats down by just seven points at the buzzer and came out the second half ready to keep things even.

Rawlins had a three-pointer to end the third quarter to give them a 37-28 lead, but our girls responded with the first six points in the fourth to close the gap, 37-34.

It got down to a single point game, but the Lady Cats just couldn't quite finish.

"The girls battled hard and I was pleased with their effort," coach Sova said. "It was nice going on the road and playing one of the better 3A teams in the state to a tight game.

"Rawlins didn't shoot a decent field goal percentage which helped us, but our girls deserve some credit in flying around, making many shots difficult for them."

Looking at the statistics, the Cats blocked out for rebounds as well as they have all year, oly allowing one offensive rebound in the second and third quarters.

Turnovers did hurt as the girls sometimes 'telegraphed' their passes or they just weren't sharp enough.

Sova said Rawlins is a very athletic and deep team and at times got the Cats playing a little faster than we would have liked.

McDermott was outstanding, making 11 of 13 and 19 points. She also had eight rebounds and lead the team in assists with four.

Bomengen made some tough shots around the hoop, leading to 11 points. She did a great job rebounding on both ends of the court, with three offensive and 10 defensive.

"It was good to see her have another double/double performance," Sova said. "It really lifts the team and makes us competitive."

Sesi Jensen had a little foul trouble, but was able to fight through it, ending with eight points, six rebounds and three steals. She eventually fouled out, with 2:19 left on the clock, which hurt, but her overall performance was solid.

McPhie got the team going with a couple of early three-pointers, ending the day with eight points total. She also had five rebounds.

Hunt chipped in with three rebounds and three steals, as well.

"She worked hard in our zone and covered a lot of ground on a number of possessions," Sova said.

Kaylee DeVries did a nice job battling Rawlins' big girls and helped out with five rebounds.

This Friday, the Lady Cats will host number one ranked 3A Douglas Bearcats.

Sova said the team has a very nice mix of size, quickness and skills. They are undefeated, and in his opinion, are the best team in the state in any classification.

"They have been outscoring teams by 40 and 50 or more points each game," Sova said. "They have not been tested this year. It is very possible we will play this team again in the opening round at regionals next week, so we will be able to learn a lot about them during this game."

Saturday sees the Newcastle Lady Dogies on our court and it is sure to be an emotional game as they honor the only senior Cat, McDermott.

"I know the girls have been looking forward to this," Sova said. "Haley (McDermott) has been an integral part of our basketball program for the past four years. She also has been a leader in the classroom and is a fun and pleasant young lady who has a bright future. We certainly will miss her.

"We would like to have her for one more year, but that probably won't happen since she has a 4.0 GPA.

"Newcastle will present a huge test for us. They have three girls who average double figures in points and they are playing quite well right now. We will have to play well to end our final home game with a victory."