Lady Cats win against Lady Warriors

The Hot Springs County High School girls varsity basketball team was at home last week for games against Worland and then Pinedale. Following a great win against long-time rival, Worland, the Lady Cats ran into a scoring binge by the team from Pinedale.

The Lady Warriors came into town with a four and fifteen record, however, statistically, the two teams showed parity on paper. The Lady Cats got started early, playing with confidence and determination at both ends of the court. Offensively, the Lady Cats passed the ball crisply, and strategically. Defensively, the team was both physical and assertive in keeping Worland off of the scoreboard - at the half, the Lady Cats were up by twenty points. As sometimes happens with a very tight defense, however, infractions led to a foul out by Jayssie Owsley in the fourth quarter.

While the teams’ skill and technique continue to improve, some mental lapses in the second half of the game allowed Worland to close the gap in scoring - albeit in a failing effort on the part of the Lady Warriors to pull ahead. Three point shots were put up by Hannna Hill (3); Kamryn Farrell; and Jayssie Owsley. The final score was Thermopolis 49 and Worland 40.

Hanna Hill had 14 points; Kamryn Farrell had 12 points; Austin Slagle had 10 points; Jayssie Owsley had 8 points; Chloee Owsley had 2 points; Ina King had 2 points; and Morgan Jones had 1 point.

After the game, Coach Tyler Weinberger commented, “That was the best all-around game we have played this year. The defense was good, and the scoring was good.”

On Saturday, the Lady Cats faced the visitors from Pinedale, who came into the week-end with an impressive fourteen and three record on the season. In a tight game, that saw the Lady Cats continuing to play well, the difference in the game came down to a hot hand in the form of Pinedale’s Ellen Bowers. Bowers put up 19 points in the first half, and an additional 22 points in the second half – for a game winning 41 total points.

With the exception of Bowers’ high scoring effort, the Lady Cats played tight defensively, leading to a number of scoreless possessions for Pinedale. Unfortunately, however, that effort did not translate into points in the offensive zone. Thermopolis kept pace with Pinedale in the first half, however, adjustments by Pinedale at half time were too much for the Lady Cats to overcome. The final score was Pinedale 71 and Thermopolis 38.

Kamryn Farrell had 12 points; Ina King had 7 points; Jayssie Owsley had 6 points; Hanna Hill had 6 points; Dazlynn Hunt had 5 points; and Davdine King had 2 points. Hanna Hill and Jayssie Owsley each put up three-point shots in the game.

Coach Weinberger said, “Our goal is to score at least twelve points per quarter, and we came close to succeeding in that game. Our defense was strong, and except for the exceptional effort of Ellen Bowers, we kept Pinedale’s offense in check. Bowers is really good at finding the net, and was putting up points from all over the court.”

The Lady Cats will be in Lander on Thursday and at home against Powell on Saturday.