Freshman boys win on the road

by Mark Dykes

The Freshman boys basketball team played in a tournament in Lovell this past weekend. Coach Matthew McPhie stated the boys played very well winning two games and losing one.

On Friday, the boys beat Powell 50-46 in overtime. The Bobcats were led in scoring by Dustin Harvey with 21 points and Sterling Gerber with 9 points. Strong defense, McPhie stated, led to a gritty comeback by the team.

Saturday, the boys lost to Buffalo 66-36 and beat Lovell 41-33. Throughout the weekend, McPhie stated, the Bobcats were led defensively by Jarron Mortimore and Oran Coyne with great shot blocking and rebounding. "The Bobcats played great team basketball and worked extremely hard on the court."

Boys Head Coach Kevin Gerber said unfortunately Coyne broke his ankle, so he will be out until January or February. However, it's not keeping him down as he's still regularly showing up for practices.

Tuesday night brought the boys' record to 2-2, after a 61-31 loss to Lander. Coach Ryan Shaffer said the team is at a point where they need to get more physical on the court. During the Lander game, they were a bit timid and didn't get many rebounds, though they did get more aggressive in the second half.

Shaffer noted the players were getting worn out by the time the fourth rolled around. With Coyne already out and Dustin Harvey getting injured early on last night, it left the regular eight-man team with only one substitute. Shaffer admired the boys, though, as they continued to put forth a good effort though they were tired and had to shift their roles around. Even at the end of the third quarter, when they were down by over 20, they never gave up and were still able to get to the hoop.

Shaffer noted in particular Jarron Mortimore, who scored eight points - five in the second half - and got to the free throw line six times. "You definitely saw him get more aggressive." Cade McLean gave the Bobcats another seven, and went to the line five times. Both players really "showed up" in that second half, Shaffer said.

Scoring for the Lander game was: Mortimore - 8, McLean - 7, Chase Snooks - 6, Logan Shumway - 4, Harvey - 3 and Sterling Gerber - 3.

The freshmen will next play Jan. 7 at the Buffalo Invite. Shaffer noted they get a long break, and hopefully will be back up to the full eight when they play again. Practice will continue as normal, and there will be some open time for the kids to get in the gym during the break.

Even when some players get hurt, Shaffer said, it allows more playing time for others and benefits the team as a whole. He hopes when they get to the final tournament he'll have eight players he can really rely on.