Bobcats go one-and-one against ranked opponents

The Hot Springs County High School boys basketball team finished this weekend even with one win and one loss against tough opponents Big Piney and Meeteetse.

The Bobcats' Friday night game was a nail biter, with the Bobcats trailing throughout the first half but exchanging the lead throughout the second. Big Piney, who have nine seniors on the team, had an advantage in experience over the younger Bobcat team.

"A lot of those guys have been starting for four years. They were cool, they were calm, they were collected. They didn't let anything rattle them, even when we got up on them a couple times they just worked back into it," said coach Kevin Gerber.

Tough competition throughout the first led to a second half of exchanged leads and anxious play from the Bobcats, which resulted in crucial turnovers that turned the tide of the game against the home team. "They [Big Piney] made their free throws in the end, so it finished a seven point margin," Gerber said of the 52-45 loss.

"A big emphasis that we're focusing on right now is turnovers," Gerber continued, noting that the team currently gives up around 15 turnovers a game. Gerber will focus with the team this week to get their turnovers in the single digits.

"Positive wise, we talk a lot about connecting as a team. They did that really well [against Big Piney]. They did a phenomenal job, all of them, keeping their attitudes, keeping their heads in the game, they focused on basketball and only basketball."

After the tough loss, Gerber said that the team was disappointed, yet aware of the 'huge leap' the team took in the right direction in terms of team identity and teamwork.

Noah Schwalbe finished the game with seven points and a team-high 10 rebounds. Tyler Cornwell shot 50 percent from beyond the arc and finished with 13 points and eight rebounds. Dominic Jensen also finished with 13 points, shooting 60 percent from the floor.

The Bobcats roared back to form for their next game against Meeteetse on Saturday. "We started off kind of flat footed against Meeteetse," said Gerber, noting that the team was ranked fifth in the 2A division. "We kind of looked like we were still trying to wake up."

After a quick timeout a minute into the game, the Bobcats looked much more comfortable, finishing the first quarter 14-11 and then outscoring the Longhorns 19-7 in the second quarter.

The sudden deluge of baskets by the Bobcats allowed every single player on the team to experience valuable time on the floor. Gerber noted that Michael Meier had a phenomenal game off the bench for the Bobcats.

"He came in, had great vision on the court, he made a couple fantastic plays offensively and then did what we asked of him defensively as well," said Gerber.

Schwalbe finished the Meeteetse game with a whopping 24 points, shooting 11 of 18 from the floor and finishing with 12 rebounds. Jensen had a good game for the second day in a row, scoring 12 points, and Keegan Robbins rebounded from a scoreless Friday night to score ten against the Longhorns Saturday.

The Bobcats will host powerhouse Greybull on Friday before traveling to Lovell Saturday. Both Greybull and Lovell have a substantial height advantage over the Bobcats lineup, but Gerber and his team have been looking forward to the games as a chance to show their worth on the floor.