Bobcats defeat #1 ranked Wright

The boys side of the 2A East/West Smackdown was played last week-end in Wright and Sundance. The Bobcats played two games at Wright High School on Friday, and then traveled to Sundance for two additional games. Sixteen very good teams came to compete in the two-day event. By the end of the event, the Bobcats would stand at three and one – with wins against Big Horn, Wright and Tongue River.

First up for the Cats were the Big Horn Rams. The Rams were just 2 and 5 coming into the weekend, however, the team played much better than their record may have indicated. In a well contested game, the Cats led the scoring at the end of each period, and won by a score of 67 to 54.

Although the team looked a bit rusty from their holiday break, they quickly got back into season form. Cody Bomengen scored the team’s first six points in the opening period, and would eventually tally 13 of the 16 points the Bobcats would put on the scoreboard. Bomengen dropped three 3-point shots, and had a nice dunk in the game. Ellis Webber had two 3-point shots, and Brody Potter added one of his own.

Friday night found the Cats playing the number one ranked Wright Panthers on their home court, in a top-two contest in Class 2A. That afternoon, the Panthers had defeated Shoshoni by more than twenty points.

With good defense being played by both teams, the score at the end of the first quarter was Cats 16 and Panthers 13. The Panthers came out running and shooting in the opening of the second quarter, and with help from some poor ball control by the Cats, Wright quickly flipped the lead. Some timely shooting by Bomengen, and Potter, however, kept the Bobcats in the lead by half-time.

The third quarter was very much a back-and-forth affair, and the Cats were up just four points by the beginning of the final period, which proved to be the most exciting action of the weekend. With 6:30 left in the quarter, the game was tied at 48. With 3:12 left in the game, the Cats were down 58 to 55. As the clock hit 1:53, Potter dunked the ball, to give the Cats a lead of 59-58.

Three consecutive fouls by the Panthers, lead to four much needed free-throw points by Zak Hastie (2), Webber (1), and Bomengen (1). When the final buzzer sounded off, the Cats had won by a score of 67 to 64. It was a huge win for the Bobcats, and came in a game in which either team could have prevailed.

On Saturday morning, the team was forced to travel on snow affected roadways to play in Sundance. The questionable weather in the area had caused a shake-up in the game schedule, with game cancellations, as some teams had determined to head out early to try to beat the impending weather conditions. As a result, the Bobcats were forced to play back-to-back games against Sundance and Tongue River.

With Sundance playing at home, the unsettled weather affecting the schedule, and coming off of the huge win against Wright the night before, the Bobcats did not play up to their usual high level. The intensity level was low, and the Cats shooting was atypically off. The final score was Sundance 57, and the Bobcats 40. “Everything that was dropping in the game against Wright seemed to fall just short in this game, and that opened the door for the Panthers,” said coach Shane Corpening.

That left the Bobcats to play their final game of the day. Like a home team who has dropped the opening game of a double-header, the Cats needed to turn the page, put that game behind them, and put up a win in game two. Weather had delayed the arrival of the officiating crew for the Tongue River game, however, and the Cats were forced into an extended wait to get back in their groove.

Tongue River had defeated Pine Bluffs, Burns and Shoshoni, and came into the Saturday afternoon game against the Cats on a high, and quickly, the Bobcats became a victim of some skilled 3-pointing shooting by the Eagles. A two-handed, and emphatic, dunk by Potter, however, seemed to get the Cats on track, and with that the Bobcats lead at half-time by 38 to 20.

In the second-half, Bridger Peil, Jordan Garrison, Nolan Collins, Cole Keller, and Chris and Ryan Arends came off the bench, played some very quality minutes, and kept the score in favor of the Bobcats. Potter had two dunks; Bomengen had two Dunks; Peil had two 3-point shots; and Ryan Arends and Dell Dukes each had successful 3-point shots. In a much called for, bounce-back game, the Bobcats won by a score of 73 to 45.

Tournament play continues for the Cats this week, as they will travel to play in the Big Horn Classic in Powell this weekend. On Friday, the Cats will play Cody and Wind River.