Lady Cats kick off season

The Lady Bobcats kicked off their basketball season last weekend at the Herder Classic in Glenrock, Friday and Saturday.

Head coach Cory Sova said the girls shot poorly from the field in the first half against Wright, getting just 7/23, but got comfortable in the second half making 11/23, including 6-for-6 in two-point attempts in the fourth quarter.

The Lady Cats came out ahead, winning against Wright, 18-6.

“McKenna (Bomengen) had a great game in her first extensive varsity action with a double/double, 12 points and 15 rebounds,” Sova said. “She also had four assists and two steals.”

Haley McDermott, the only senior on the team, led the Lady Cats in scoring with 13 points, adding on seven rebounds and three assists.

Sophomore Ashley McPhie did well in her first ever varsity action, dropping in 12 points and securing six rebounds. Sesi Jensen, another sophomore, contributed five points and five rebounds, while Tahja Hunt added four rebounds and two assists to the books.

Aspen Jensen hit a pair of big threes in three attempts and Dani Jo Pebbles and Kaylee DeVries added three rebounds each.

“For many of these girls it was their first varsity contest and they responded well,” Sova said. “After getting settled in, they played some good ball.

“Twice, we were down by double digits, including early in the fourth quarter, but the girls didn’t quit. This is a resilient group and they showed it. I was proud of how they competed.”

Saturday saw the girls taking on Big Horn, the defending 2A State Champs, in what Sova called a unique game.

Big Horn got more shot attempts, 69-33, but the Lady Cats found a way to stay in the game and force it into overtime.

Sova said there were two reasons for the shot total disparity; eight extra shots Big Horn got on turnovers and 29 offensive rebounds they gathered, compared to the Bobcat’s six.

“We will definitely have to spend time learning how to block out and rebound,” Sova said. “I’m confident the girls will see the importance and get with it.”

Sova added the girl’s youth and inexperience really showed in the matchup against Big Horn, ending the game with Sesi Jensen, Bomengen and McDermott all on the bench with five fouls.

“Losing Haley (McDermott) midway through overtime on a highly questionabe call was devastating and we weren’t able to hold on to the lead,” Sova said. “We were definitely very physical and aggressive in all aspects of the game with the exception of rebounding.

“I was proud of the girls for battling for 36 minutes.”

The girls started out great with 17 points in the first quarter, but just couldn’t keep up the pace.

McDermott had a double/double with 18 points and 11 rebounds along with three assists and three steals.

McPhie was solid with 10 points and attacked the basket really well. She added four rebounds to the books as well.

Bomengen marked six rebounds and two assists while Sesi Jensen added another six rebounds.

Hunt pitched in, too, with five rebounds and hit a big 3-pointer when the game started slipping away during the third quarter. Aspen Jensen also added four rebounds.

Sova said it was nice to get to the free-throw line 33 times. Making 21 of those shots is a respectable percentage.

“This was a great opportunity for us to learn how to play in a tight game throughout and also for our bench players to play key roles down the stretch with some of our key players on the bench,” Sova said. “We were down by two points with just a few seconds left and had a chance to send it to a second overtime, but we couldn’t convert and then had to foul and they were able to put two more points on the board with just a second or two left.

Final score against Big Horn on Saturday was 45-49, Big Horn.

The Lady Cats finished out the day on Saturday with a win over Glenrock, 47-23.

Although Sova said the girls didn’t shoot very well against Glenrock, they dominated them, holding them to single digit points each quarter.

“Their kids made some nice plays, but our girls were up to the challenge and reponded after their heartbreaking loss to Big Horn,” Sova said.

Bomengen had another nice game with 17 points, six rebounds and four steals.

McDermott led with five assists, four rebounds and two steals while Sesi Jensen added on eight points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals.

“Our bench did a good job,” Sova said, “especially in the rebounding department where they had 18.”

Hallie Weber had six of those rebounds, Aspen Jensen added four and Pebbles, three.

“All in all, it was a good opening weekend for the girls,” Sova said. “They are working hard and learning on the fly.

“They know that they will have to work collectively to gain wins. The goal is to simply get better every day, and they have accomplished that at this point. I am looking for this to continue. There is plenty to work on and the girls know what we have to focus on before ever being told.”

The Lady Cats are up next at the East-West Classic at Lander, Dec. 15-16. The freshman team will take to the court on Thursday, Dec. 14 at Lovell, beginning at 5 p.m.