Bobcat boys junior varsity struggle at Worland

Though the boys JV basketball team came away with a 61-48 loss against Worland this past weekend, Coach Ryan Shaffer said they played well. He tried to switch a few things up to give them a better second quarter, as it has been rough during most of their games.

“I tried to switch out the personnel a little bit, which I think worked a little better. We still gave up some, but we only gave up four in the first and four in the second . . . so down only eight points at halftime was a lot better for us. We were in the game at least.”

The team came out strong in the second half, Shaffer noted, at one point being only three points behind. The team had five three-pointers and 15 two’s compared to Worland’s 14. Shaffer said they didn’t get as many shots as they hoped for, but they shot at 47 percent, almost 52 percent inside the arc.

“We were really efficient,” Shaffer said. It was also the boys’ best games for assists, with 11. “We moved the ball around a lot, found the open guy, got some quick shots so that was really good. Defensively the team made five steals and three blocks, and caused 12 turnovers. They also held Worland to 33 percent on their shooting.

“For all the numbers, it looks like we should’ve won,” Shaffer said. The biggest difference came in offensive rebounds, with Worland grabbing 18. “It changes the game,” the coach noted, “because of 49 shots they take 67.” He distinctly remembered a three-pointer they never should’ve got if the Bobcats had rebounded.

The Cats also had a rough free-throw night, making only three of 13.

The team has seen games where they’ve struggled and games where they’ve done well, and Shaffer is looking to make sure they have a complete game. Plans are to get a bit more focused on rebounding and free throws.

Shaffer said having some of the guys back from varsity helped bring the energy level back up for the team, and where they’ve previously struggled to find shots they are now getting good shots. “Obviously, with shooting 47 percent from the field, we’re taking really good shots. We’re not just turning around and throwing them up. We’re really solid.”

Shooting for the evening was also well rounded, with 11 from Logan Shumway, nine from Cade McLean, eight each from Sterling Gerber and Dustin Harvey, six from Oran Coyne, four from Jarron Mortimore and two from Kolby George. Coyne, Shaffer noted, actually didn’t miss a shot from inside the three-point line. “I wished he’d take more shots,” the coach said. George and McLean each had six rebounds as well.

As for turnovers, the Bobcats had 17 compared to their average of 23-25. The goal, Shaffer said, is to have 16 or fewer, but the game was good to show them they can take care of the ball.

All around, it was a better game for us, Shaffer said, and the boys could tell. They never felt like they were out of the game. Though the score doesn’t look as close, being there it was definitely a different game, Shaffer said.

This week has the boys playing against Buffalo Tuesday afternoon a home and on the road at Rawlins on Friday. The Bobcats have faced both teams earlier in the season. Shaffer was excited to see how the boys fared Tuesday, as Buffalo only put 54 on us during the last matchup. As for Rawlins, they got 55. The coach said “that’s kind of where we want teams,” and he was hopeful to see a difference in scoring with the new energy the team has.

Shaffer added it’s good to play teams twice during the season, to really gauge where the boys are.