Bobcats keep up with Rawlins

Friday evening, Thermopolis went up against Rawlins on the road. Coach Kevin Gerber said the Bobcats stayed right with the Outlaws through three quarters, with 11 to Rawlins' 16 in the first. The boys outscored Rawlins in the second quarter, 18-17, and the third, 16-15.

However, the final quarter, Gerber said, "kind of got out of our hands a little bit." Rawlins won the fourth, 21-9. Gerber noted among the Outlaws is a player who measures about 6'7" or 6'8" and was tough to go up against.

It was another phenomenal game for Hudson Roling, Gerber said, who really stepped up, commanded the court and hit some big shots through the night. Additionally, he said, Alex Jensen came off the bench strong, hitting three treys as well as a phenomenal fast break layup.

Gerber also noted a play by Jensen, in which he flew along the sideline and tossed in a basket as he dove and slid into the Bobcats' bench, which got everyone pumped up. Gerber was excited to see the senior play like he did, after not playing in the game against Buffalo the week before.

The Bobcats also did well in taking down Rawlins' main scorer, Gerber said, keeping him to three buckets in the first quarter and one each quarter after. Gerber noted a couple Outlaws did a good job working the ball and getting inside.

"We kept up with them," Gerber said, being only down by three at the end of the third quarter. Unfortunately, that quarter also saw a double technical foul - one for the Bobcats, the other for the Outlaws - though Gerber didn't believe that had a negative impact on either team.

Rawlins also saw a lot of free throws, hitting nine of 11 in the fourth quarter alone. Gerber noted Thermopolis also shot free throws well, making eight of nine. "Our free throws are paying off," he said. "We just need to get there a little more often."

Another great thing about the game, Gerber said, was Liam Aaron earning his Varsity jersey back. He's been playing at the JV level, having lost the Varsity spot earlier in the season. Gerber explained Aaron had some things he needed to do for himself, his coaches and his teammates, and he's earned that spot back.

"It was exciting to see him out on the court," Gerber said, "and maybe getting him a few quarters of playing time going into Regionals would be good. He's another big body, and athletic, so he can really do some great things for us."

Looking again at the fourth quarter, Gerber said they started looking for the "10 point shot," forcing up some shots they might not otherwise and moving the ball around a bit more.

Scoring against Rawlins were: Roling - 18; Jensen - 11, Noah Schwalbe - 10, Jake Maksin - 6; Trey Davis - 5; Logan Bartholomew - 2; and Aaron - 2.

Gerber is looking forward to playing Newcastle Saturday. He noted this will be the JV's final game. As coach Ryan Shaffer will be with the freshman team at Worland, Gerber's excited about coaching both the JV and Varsity teams.

The game against Newcastle is a winnable one, Gerber said, as both teams are somewhat in the same boat as far as their season win-loss records. Gerber further noted there is a five-day practice week to get the boys prepared.

Following the last game will be Regionals at Buffalo. Unless something drastic changes, Gerber expects they will play Douglas first. The coach would like to see a win at Newcastle to put a little steam in the Bobcats' engines going into Regionals. The Newcastle game is scheduled to begin Saturday at 3 p.m.