Bobcats win at home over archrival Worland

With an offense that didn't quit through four quarters and a defense that kept the pressure on the Worland Warriors, the Bobcats earned a 61-55 victory Saturday evening at home, their first against Worland in seven years.

"This was a huge win for our program," coach Shane Corpening said. "It's our first win versus a 3A opponent since 2012 and our first win against Worland since 2012. Truthfully, we didn't have a Herculean effort. Our boys just played consistently well for four quarters. I have seen glimpses of this kind of play all season, but we have never been able to sustain that kind of play for an entire game.

"Duder Harvey got the ball rolling for us in the first quarter as he scored 11 of our first 15 points. His first shot of the game was a three pointer from the corner. This was important moving forward in the game because now our opponent had to honor the fact that he can shoot. That means they have to play him a little tighter which opens up the drive to the basket, which is what he really likes to do."

Corpening said the defense "rally shined in the second quarter. We put some in some different looks versus Worland and it really paid off. I think they had a hard time adjusting to our defense in the first half and that led to rushed shots and turnovers. Offensively, Cade McLean and Jarron Mortimore contributed with some really timely shots in this quarter. We went into the locker room with a five-point lead 31-26. As a coach, I could feel the confidence radiating amongst our team. I stressed to them that we have to win the first two minutes of the third quarter and we did exactly that. We went on a nice run and stretched our lead out to 13 points midway through the third quarter.

"Worland is a good team and they are very athletic. As expected, they went on a run and were able to tie the game up towards the end of the third quarter. Our ability to withstand their run late in the third quarter was a huge factor that led us to the win. We easily could've crumbled, but our team demonstrated excellent resolve. We ended up hitting a couple of big shots at the end of the third quarter and we took a four-point lead going into the final stanza.

From there it felt like seconds were as long as minutes and minutes were as long as hours. We held about a 6-8 point lead throughout the fourth quarter and we had a lot of guys contribute in a very positive way in the fourth quarter. Cade McLean scored six of his 16 points and knocked down some key free throws. Sean Miller had some clutch blocks and rebounds down the stretch.

"But, I was extremely impressed with Adley Coyne in the fourth quarter. He is a freshman and has played sporadically for our varsity team this year. He came in the fourth quarter and had some great defensive plays, had a beautiful assist to Miller, and hit two huge shots. Every time Worland hit a shot and it looked like they could get back in the game we had an answer for them. It was a great team effort.

Among the highlights of the game were Harvey getting 21 points and five rebounds, McLean getting 16 points and four assists, and Mortimore getting 13 points and five rebounds. Adley Coyne also put up five points, and Sean Miller made four points and seven rebounds.

The boys were also set to play Newcastle last Friday, though that game was cancelled. This Friday they will travel to play at Buffalo, with a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.