Bobcats shoot well against Warriors

Thermopolis fought hard against Worland last Friday, finishing with a 53-35 loss. Though only scoring 35 points offensively, coach Shane Corpening said they played pretty close to unstoppable.

"We were getting whatever we wanted," Corpening said. " We were hitting shots. We shot our best of the season probably, percent-wise. We were 45 percent from the three-point line, and from the field we were 40 percent. We shot the ball about as well as we have all season but once again the issue was turnovers.

"In that game we had 20 turnovers, and the way I look at turnovers is it's a chance you don't even get to score." Being able to cut that in half, he said, results in 10 additional shots and the way they were shooting against Worland they probably left eight to 12 shots off the board, which could've put them right back in the game.

Another killer for the Bobcats were free throws, only getting to the line eight times and making no shots. That combined with the turnovers was the reason for the loss, Corpening said. "Even if we shoot four for eight and turn the ball over 10 less times, we're in that game."

Corpening added Worland was shooting "lights out" from the three-point line, and though he was aware of their shooters he didn't expect them to hurt us that much. "We had hands up," the coach said, "but they were going in. I think once a team sees the first two or three go in it gets easier."

Corpening felt they had to zone defense Worland, which he sees as the most athletic team they've faced. He didn't feel good with a man-to-man, which forced Worland to take the outside shots, though a man-to man would've allowed Worland more penetration. "Next time we play them we'll have to re-evaluate how we approach them defensively.

This was a game where there was no quit in our boys. Corpening noted they dug a 30-point deficit at one point but they never quit and they are starting to see they compete with any team at the 3A level "so long as we take care of the ball and execute on our offense."

Kolby George had his best game of the year, Corpening said, with 15 points and going three from three from the three point line and three for four from inside the arc. "The only thing he did wrong at that game is not take more shots."

Duder Harvey scored 12 points, two for two from the three-point line and three for seven inside. Jarron Mortimore scored six points as well, though Corpening pointed out his seven blocks and eight rebounds as well, and Jase Longwell put up some solid defense as a freshman.

This weekend the boys will face Powell at home with tipoff at 7:30 p.m. Friday, and a Saturday game at Lovell.

Corpening has been watching film on Powell and they've played Lovell before so they know what to expect, and he feels they are both winnable games.