Lady Cats head to regionals

The Lady Bobcat basketball team played their final regular season game last Saturday, dropping a close game to the Lady Dogies of Newcastle, 40-32.

Head coach Cory Sova said he thought the girls gave it their all against Newcastle, but they definitely were lacking in concentration and energy.

"I'm sure sitting on a bus for over seven hours took a toll on us," he said. "Our game got pushed back three hours because of bus issues and a late arrival."

Sova said the girls were not happy with their performance either, frustration coming from not shooting the ball well. He said the Cats only made nine of 51 field goal attempts and missed at least 12 shots near the rim.

"They did a good job of not forcing bad shots," he said, "the ball just wouldn't drop. Quite a few other shots rattled in and out. The hoops were extremely tight and unforgiving."

Early in the fourth quarter the ladies had just 14 points on the board, making a miserable four of 37 field goal attempts.

"The impressive thing is we were still in the game," Sova said. "Newcastle did make a big push to extend their lead 37-19, but we answered with 11 points in 55 seconds to trim the lead 37-30.

"We kept up the defensive intensity and stopped them on their net possession with a chance to cut the lead to four or five with 1:30 left on the clock, but we just couldn't score the ball.

"I was proud of how the girls kept working at it. They found in the Rawlins game that you can come back if you stay the course."

Haley McDermott led the Lady Cats in scoring with 13 points, adding three rebounds and two steals as well.

"As always, she played until the final horn," Sova said. "She is at the point in the season where she has to strap ice bags over darn near her whole body."

Lizzy Lofink has been fighting shin splints, but Sova said she "always guts it out".

"She had three or four shots that just popped off the back rim, but still had a great overall game," he said. "She lead us with eight rebounds, six of those being defensive. She also lead us with four assists and three steals."

Ashlynn Weber continues to lift the team score-wise and had not only 10 points against Newcastle, but seven rebounds to add to her stats.

"I am really happy how she has stepped up her game," Sova said.

Korey Smith had been fighting the illness going around town throughout the week and even though she had limited minutes on the court, she came in and fought hard.

"She found her shooting touch in the fourth quarter," Sova said, "which hopefully we can carry over to regionals."

Sova said Jules Ward did a tremendous job holding down Newcastle's top scorer during the game, too.

"She again took care of the ball well and grabbed four rebounds as well," he added.

"Mary Ryan is feeling better too, and again, gave us a nice lift. She has been working on her post moves, which she knows she needs, being sometimes severely undersized.

"She fundamentally blocks out very well for rebounds, is consistent defensively and knows our offenses and analyzes the game well."

Ryan made one hoop and three rebounds against the Lady Dogies.

McKenna Bomengen had four rebounds for the night, and even though not real big, helps out around the hoop.

"This freshman has been versatile," Sova said, "playing multiple positions and continues to make strides. She strives to do well and you never have to question her will and desire to win. She wants to win every possession to help out the team."

The Lady Cats will go into 3A West Regionals in the fourth seed next weekend going up against the top ranked Douglas Bearcats.

"They have five strong starters, each scoring above or near double digits," Sova said. "They are athletic and aggressive with good size. They bet us up pretty good about a month ago in a game played in Douglas. We will lace up and be ready to go on Thursday."

The opening game will be at 3 p.m. at Buffalo High School, the host school for the Regional Tournament.

If the Cats win, they'll play a semi-final on Friday at 6 p.m. A loss would mean a loser-out game on Friday at 11:30 a.m.

"It should be a fun, competitive regional," Sova said. "The girls hav stayed with it and have played some good ball down the stretch. If we can play solid defense and knock some shots, they can compete with anyone.

"I know they are already excited. They have taken the step to where team success is very important to them. Our practices have been focused with a lot of learning taking place."

Sova added, with the JV and freshman seasons winding down, he would like to thank all the coaches.

"Coach Hostetter has been a caring, calm force for our JV players, which has been a mix of freshmen, sophomore and junior players," he said. "You have to be flexible as you don't often get to have your whole squad for your scrimmages.

"I was also fortunate to have coach Mecca rejoin the ranks for the Bobcat basketball cause. He not only coached the freshman squad, but was a true sounding board for JV and varsity preparation as well. His willingness to join our team was very much appreciated.

"Finally, coach Sierra Harvey has served as a volunteer assistant for the entire year. Her help and knowledge was a huge plus for us. She analyzes practices and games well and is always thinking proactively.

"Hopefully, our girls and boys teams will get a big following to regionals in Buffalo."

For those wanting tournament information such as game times and pricing, please go to the WHSAA website at whsaa.org and look for 3A East Regional Tournament information.