JV boys see tough weekend

The recent four-game winning streak that the boys' high school JV team had was ended this weekend during their games against Lander and Big Piney.

The boys took on Lander at home Friday night, losing 70-44. Coach Ryan Shaffer said it was one bad quarter, the second, that really killed them. Outside of that quarter, he noted, the boys played well.

Showing their improvement as a team since they faced Lander earlier this year, the Bobcats kept them to making only four three-pointers rather than the 14 seen at the prior matchup. Shaffer said the boys did a much better job of getting a hand up and taking away those shots and opportunities.

Major issues in the game, Shaffer said, were having 20 turnovers and allowing Lander to get 20 offensive rebounds. "That was the part that really hurt us as far as scoring."

The boys also showed improvement in their free throws, nailing 11 of 15, or 73 percent. Shaffer said they did well at getting to the line and making those shots, but the big problem is Thermopolis only had 44 shots compared to Lander's 65. "It's hard to win a game when you're letting them get that many more shots."

In the second quarter, Shaffer pointed out there was a 22-point difference. Lander scored 28 while Thermopolis had only six. Overall, the boys lost by 26. Shaffer noted for some reason or another there's a quarter in each game during which they relax or just can't seem to find the rim.

Coming out of halftime, the boys nailed 25 points in the third quarter, certainly a nice boost after scoring only 15 in the first half. However, they had trouble making shots in the fourth, scoring only four more points before the end of the game.

Shaffer noted Sean Miller came down for the game, as Jarron Mortimore moved up and was starting varsity. Miller did well, scoring 12 points overall and bringing a lot of energy to the team. Sterling Gerber, Shaffer said, also found his three-point shot and hit two of four, both in the third quarter.

Kolby George also brought plenty of energy to the game, Shaffer said, nailing a trey and helping to get the team going until they came back in the third quarter. Shaffer said he spoke to the boys after the game about bringing that energy to all four quarters.

They have to find out how to stop the bleeding when it happens, the coach said. "We struggled and struggled, and then all of a sudden woke up and played well. And the game was over by that time."

Scoring against Lander were Miller - 12, Sterling Gerber - 10, George - 7, Logan Shumway - 6, Dustin Harvey - 5, Oran Coyne - 2 and Cade McLean - 2.

On Saturday, the boys travelled to Big Piney but lost 44-38.

Coach Shaffer said the boys came off the bus slow, and the defense wasn't there. "We just didn't have the activity that we had in the past with being aggressive, getting in their face, taking the ball from them. I think they surprised our boys a bit because they were a really fast team."

At the half, the Cats were down by 19 and the coach had a heart-to-heart moment about what they needed to do. Shaffer has spoken to the team about holding opponents to 40 points per game, so Big Piney's 33 in one half wasn't something they could do.

In the second half, the Bobcat defense came out strong, holding Big Piney to only two points in the third quarter and nine in the fourth. As a coach, Shaffer said, it's hard to see them struggle, knowing how well they can play. "You don't want to see them struggle through it, because you know this is a game they should be winning."

Shaffer was happy to see them come back, losing by only six points. Gerber continued raining in threes, making four this game and scoring 18 overall, a definite highlight for the offense. George also brought his defense and aggressiveness, getting to the line six times just in the first quarter.

Gerber and George were also the only two to score in the fourth, with a combined 19 points.

Shaffer said the team got back in their defensive mindset in the second half, only allowing 11 points, but the team has to figure out how to come off a long bus drive and get ready to go.

Scoring against Big Piney were Gerber - 18, George - 9, Harvey - 3, McLean - 3, Logan Bartholomew - 2, Coyne - 2 and Shumway - 1

With conference play getting underway, the JV team will next face Worland at home on Thursday, Jan. 18, and will travel to Buffalo on Friday, Jan. 19. Shaffer said with four wins the team had their up side, but these past two games were something of a wake up call to let them know they can't let off.

Shaffer also expressed his appreciation to the atmosphere at the home games with the cheer squad, parents, students and band coming out to support the team. Tipoff for this Thursday's game is 4:30 p.m. at Thermopolis Middle School.