Regional basketball action starts Thursday evening

This weekend will see the Hot Springs County High School boys basketball team traveling to compete in the regional tournament. Their first game will be against Newcastle, an opponent they faced this past weekend.

The Bobcats went up against Douglas on Feb. 23, coming away with a 57-49 loss, followed by a 69-41 loss against Newcastle on Feb. 24. Coach Kevin Gerber said the weekend was certainly interesting, as it was the boys' final regular season games and knowing for sure that they will see one, if not both, during regionals.

"I was really proud of our boys," Gerber said. "They played really good man to man defense against Douglas. They worked really hard." He noted Sean Miller really got the team started in the game, making a couple shots early on. Thermopolis had the lead early in the game, before Douglas went on a run, and the Bobcats took the lead at various points of the game.

The Bobcats were up 38-35 in the third quarter, and then Douglas went on a run at the end. Gerber said Douglas brought up their intensity and it was difficult to match, so the boys had to go into some fouling. "I think that makes the scoring look a little bit different than what it really is. It definitely wasn't an eight-point game. As far as when we started having to foul, it was a four-point game.

The flow of the game went well, Gerber noted, but Douglas did get to the line 30 times compared to Thermopolis' 13. "I felt like our boys were equally aggressive," the coach said, "at going to the hole, really going hard to the rim and taking good shots, so I was really happy with what they were doing." The boys are showing they're super-confident, and Gerber said if they happen to meet Douglas again then, without a doubt, "we can take it to them."

Noah Schwalbe had a good game, with 15 points and six rebounds, and Jarron Mortimore was just shy of a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds. These past couple weeks, Gerber said, Mortimore has been a real rim protector, and he had four blocked shots. The coach added he's proved himself as a shot blocker through the season and is now in the top two in blocked shots for the state.

Gerber also noted Miller has stepped up his game as well and got to where he's looking for his shot more, and Strite Daniels has also improved his defensive game. Overall, Thermopolis out-rebounded Douglas 43-29.

Scoring against Douglas were Schwalbe - 15, Mortimore - 10, Hudson Roling - 9, Miller - 8, Dustin Harvey - 4 and Cade Zupan - 3

As for the game against Newcastle, Gerber said the boys played hard and did well in the first quarter, only being outscored by six. The coach noted the Dogies hit a couple three-pointers near the end of the quarter.

Despite the loss, Gerber was excited about many things the boys did, particularly getting 65 shots in the game and having only 16 turnovers. "I didn't feel like we were catching and shooting," Gerber said. "It wasn't like a one pass and then turning and shooting. I really feel like we were working the ball around and the reason we got as many shots as we did is because we were taking care of the ball."

Unfortunately, the shooting percentages did not fare as well, with 0 of 15 three-pointers made and 17 of 49 two point field goals. The boys recognized the number of shots they made, the coach added, and the challenge he put to the boys this week is to be completely focused so they can finish those shots.

Through the season, Gerber has admired the boys' attitude in the locker room before, during and after games. "They really talk to each other," he said. "They don't talk at each other. They really are wanting to get some wins."

The Newcastle game was during Senior Night, and Gerber said it's been special to have Schwalbe, Roling and Zupan for all four years of high school. Daniels, he noted, didn't play his junior year but Gerber coached him the other three. There have definitely been ups and downs in those years, he added, but he truly cares about them and wishes them the best as they move forward.

The Newcastle game saw seven different scorers, with Mortimore - 10, Miller - 8, Roling - 8, Schwalbe - 6, Zupan - 6, Harvey - 2 and Kolby George - 1. Gerber said Schwalbe struggled a bit with shooting, but still played a good game, and Mortimore really stepped up.

"Sean (Miller) just crushed it on the offensive glass," Gerber noted, nailing seven of the team's 15 offensive rebounds.

"I just can't say enough about how hard they play and how privileged I feel to be able to coach these boys," Gerber said. Going into regionals, he said, "I think we now have the potential to play our best basketball. I think that's really what they're poised to do, just go and show 3A that we're a lot more than what our record shows."

Tipoff at regionals against Newcastle is 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 1 at Douglas High School.