Still time to catch a boys TMS basketball game

With just a few games left on their schedules, coaches for the Thermopolis Middle School basketball teams spoke about the 2016 season.

Shane Corpening, the coach for the eighth grade boys, said the improvement through the season has been great to see. He wished he could've taped the boys at their first and last practices to show them how much they've changed.

One of the biggest improvements Corpening's seen with the "A" team is with offensive fundamentals. "Honestly, at the beginning of the year we struggled to pass the ball . . . some of those smaller things you wouldn't think of. We've made strides in that department." Looking at the opposite side, he said they play good team defense, which can sometimes be difficult to do instead of playing one-on-one. "It's a team concept," Corpening said, "and that's been good to see all year, how well they've improved in that department."

As of Monday, the eighth grade "A" team had played 12 games, with a record of 1-11; the single win was against Ten Sleep. Corpening said they're "great effort" kids, noting he's been preaching effort to them all season and has no complaints about the effort given during any game.

A big standout moment for Corpening was the team's second game against Powell. Though the Thermopolis boys played them twice this season, losing both times, the point deficit improved significantly. "That, in my mind, showed how much they improved in the season." He further added Powell, Worland and Cody are bigger, tougher schools, but they have to learn how to play them because those schools will be their opponents in high school as well.

As for the "B" team, which had a record of 4-5 as of Monday, Corpening said every game they've played in has been very close. He added he's coached middle school basketball four years, and every game the "B" team has been extremely close and competitive.

In particular, he referenced a game against Cody. Though it was a one-point loss for the Bobcats, Corpening said the team had to come back from being 15 points down at halftime to eventually force the game into double overtime.

Though the players do get frustrated from time to time, Corpening said he doesn't get upset about it, as that shows they are competitors and they want to win, but they haven't been frustrated to the point where they want to give up "which, to me, is awesome to see as a coach."

Corpening would like to see the community come out and support the boys at their tournament at Worland, Dec. 10, beginning at 9 a.m.

As for the seventh grade team, Coach Ryan Shaffer said the "A" team record was 4-9, while the "B" team is at 2-9.

"They've had a lot of good games," Shaffer said, noting some of the losses have just been by three or four points. The best game, he said, was the second time they took on Powell, beating them by one point, 39-38. "It was a pretty intense game for sure," he added, as the Bobcats had been down by five before taking the win.

"From where we were, they've gotten a lot better. It's encouraging to see them improve - both A and B teams." There are a total 17 kids who play, and Shaffer said there are a few who play both A and B.

Shaffer said there's been several kids who have come up through the Recreation District program, which he helped coach for a while, adding it's fun to see those students playing. The players are excited, he noted, and there's not too many teams they are afraid of. They have it in their mind that they can win, he said, which is important when going against other teams.

"Defense is definitely our big thing," Shaffer said, as they gave up some points in their last game against Worland in the first half, but were able to hold them to six points in the second. Offensively, he said, they've just been playing, knowing that the more they play the better they'll get. "They're getting used to where they need to be on the court, what kind of shots they can take, what kind of shots they should take. It's getting good."

Overall, Shaffer gets a really positive attitude from the team. Even if players are on a B team, they know there are still spots open on the A team, and will ask their coach what they can improve on. "They're actually out there to get better, and to improve." He said the direction they're going is very positive.

Shaffer also commended senior Keegan Robbins, who is not playing high school basketball due to injury but is volunteering to help coach the seventh grade B team. "It's good to see even his drive for basketball goes over to the kids."

Tournaments for the seventh grade team are 9 a.m. Dec. 3 at Powell for the B team, and 9 a.m. Dec. 10 at Lander for A.