Coach excited with boys' performance

Last weekend saw Thermopolis High School boys basketball action at home, taking on Wheatland Friday and Torrington Saturday. The Bobcats lost against both, falling 49-39 against Wheatland and 66-59 against Torrington.

Coach Kevin Gerber said the boys played two really good games this weekend, and he was very proud of them. During the practices leading up to the games, Gerber said he matched players to compete for places and time, a method which paid off during game time.

Gerber said they came out maybe not as good as they hoped on Friday, and Wheatland hit five three-pointers in the first quarter. Gerber said at one point Thermopolis was down 12-0, but they started coming back with scores from Trey Davis, Alex Jensen and Hudson Roling.

"We were outscored 20-7 in the first quarter," Gerber said, "but, again, they really were on fire coming out and I told them it would be hard for that team to sustain that sort of fire so we needed to weather that storm."

The Bobcats held Wheatland to a single point through the second until a three-pointer near the end; still, Thermopolis won the quarter, outscoring 10-4 and bringing them within seven at the half.

The single-digit quarter curse continued in the third, with Wheatland outscoring Thermopolis 11-4 and putting the Bobcats at a 14-point deficit. Gerber noted the fourth quarter is typically the strongest, and Friday's game was no exception as the Bobcats put 18 up to Wheatland's 14.

Gerber said Wheatland's shooting was phenomenal - they hit 10 treys compared to only six baskets. Neither team did well with their free throws, each missing 13.

"That was a place where we really could've made up some ground," Gerber said, "especially in the fourth quarter." The Bobcats made only three of 13 attempts in the fourth which is hard to look at, Gerber noted, as they lost by 10.

Scoring against Wheatland were: Will DeVries - 16; Roling - 9; Noah Schwalbe - 5; Jake Maksin - 3; Jensen - 3; Trey Davis - 2; and Jaxon Davis - 1.

Gerber said DeVries was a big performer. In addition to his 16 points he grabbed 17 rebounds and blocked five shots. Out of 11 offensive rebounds, DeVries had 10 of them.

"He just dominated for us on the boards," Gerber said. The coach noted Jaxon Davis also stepped up as well after Maksin went down with a sprained ankle. Davis was only available for two quarters - having played JV as well - but he still got some good minutes and experience. Gerber is hopeful to get Maksin healthy this week.

Looking at the Torrington game, Gerber said it was the Bobcats' second week playing the second ranked team in the state. He explained the position was previously held by Douglas, who they played Jan. 28, but Torrington beat them and took the spot.

Gerber said it was "easily our best game of the season, without a doubt. I was so proud to see these guys step up for the second week in a row and not be intimidated."

It was the game that would break the single-digit quarter curse as well, as the Bobcats made double digits in all four. Gerber noted they led 13-12 at the end of the first quarter, then matched at 13 in the second for a 26-25 lead at halftime.

Gerber said they didn't let up, and he's been trying to change things up as much as he can at halftime to figure out what they can do to keep their energy up. He's hopeful they found the answer at this game.

In the third, Torrington only outscored Thermopolis by two, 16-14, putting the Bobcats down by only a point and in a position to win. "That was huge for us," Gerber said.

The fourth was huge for both teams, with Torrington leading the scoring 25-19. Gerber said it really came down to free throws. Torrington hit 14 of their 20. While Thermopolis hit 75 percent of theirs, six of eight, they just didn't get to the line as much.

Gerber noted they weren't settling for outside shots, and were attacking the rim. He said Roling and Schwalbe stepped up in that regard. Gerber also asked them to step up defensively, which they did.

Gerber pointed out Jensen really stepped up, meeting the coach's challenge of coming off the bench with as much intensity as he could bring. He recalled one play when Jensen went after the ball on the ground, at one point finding himself on top of a Torrington player. Jensen got possession and started dribbling before he got up; unfortunately he missed his shot, but Gerber said had it gone in everyone would've went crazy. "It was an amazing play anyway," Gerber said.

Trey Davis also hit some good baskets, Gerber said, and overall the team answered the call and stepped up. "All around, it was just a really good game," Gerber said, "good scoring from them. They played really good defense against a good shooting team."

Scoring against Torrington were: Roling - 23; Schwalbe - 14; Jaxon Davis - 5; Trey Davis - 5, Logan Bartholomew - 4; Jensen - 4; DeVries -2; and Brett Nicodemus - 2

Gerber hopes to take the momentum into this week's games. Thursday will see them at home against Worland for Senior Night and the "Pink Out" for cancer awareness. Gerber noted there are six seniors, and Bartholomew said he wants to see his fellow seniors all start over him.

"I think that shows the integrity of our team," Gerber said, and he believes any of the seniors would do the same. Seniors being recognized along with Bartholomew are Trey Davis, Maksin, Jensen, DeVries and Nicodemus.

While Senior Night might be seen as a distraction by some coaches, Gerber said he wants his boys to soak up the moment, as this is part of their experiences on their journey.

The Bobcats will also head to Buffalo on Friday, and Gerber is excited to see them again as they had a fair showing against them at home on Jan. 20. He reminded his players, however, that neither team will be the same as they were a few weeks back.

Both games are scheduled to start at 7 p.m.