Lady Wolves take 2nd at 4A West Regionals

It was an exhilarating weekend for the Lady Wolves basketball team.

The 4A West Regional Tournament games took place last Thursday in Star Valley. Green River was looking for two wins so they would be able to compete at the State tournament. The first game of the tournament was the Green River Lady Wolves against the Riverton Wolverines. Green River started the game slow offensively and allowed too many turnovers in the first half of the game. They figured out what they needed to do differently and their offensive game picked up in the second quarter, when they outscored Riverton by 10 points. In the third quarter, Green River let Riverton score quite a bit, but still kept the lead. Green River scored 14 points in the fourth quarter, playing great defense, and they only allowed Riverton to score four points. Green River delivered on their quest to beat Riverton and won the game 55-35.

Leading the team was Brianna Strauss with 12 points, along with Addison Demaret with 11 points and Isabel Vasco with 10 points. Demaret dominated the game with 13 rebounds, along with Jayla Braden with five steals and five assists.

The second game in the tournament was the Rock Springs Lady Tigers taking on the Evanston Red Devils. Rock Springs walked away with the win with a final score of 53-39. For game three, the Cody Fillies played the Jackson Hole Broncs with Cody dominating Jackson with a final score of 65-6. In game four, the Star Valley Braves played the Kelly Walsh Trojans and Kelly Walsh won the game 42-37.

On Friday, the consolation games began with game eight, Riverton playing Evanston, and Evanston won the game 49-27. This was Riverton's last game of the tournament as they were eliminated. For game nine, Jackson played Star Valley, with Star Valley winning the game 48-9. With the devastating loss, Jackson was out of the tournament.

In game five, the Lady Wolves played an intensive game against the Lady Tigers. Ending the first quarter, it was a great defensive battle between the teams. Green River had the lead with a score of 6-5. During the second quarter, Green River gained a larger lead against Rock Springs, scoring 11 points to Rock Springs' six points, bringing the score to 17-11. Green River did well pressing Rock Springs and had some good turnovers. In the third quarter, the Lady Wolves played tough, keeping the lead but struggling with fouling, making seven points to Rock Springs' eight points. Going into the fourth quarter, Green River struggled to score at the beginning. Rock Springs made some baskets and tightened the scoreboard, but in the last couple minutes of the game Green River made some great baskets and won 33-25.

Leading the team was Jayla Braden with 12 points, along with Ella Stanton and Addison Demaret with 10 rebounds each and Braden with five steals and four assists. The Lady Wolves worked hard for the win, which sent them to the Championship game on Saturday and qualified them for State.

Game six was the Cody Fillies playing the Kelly Walsh Trojans. Cody dominated the game, scoring 71 points to Kelly Walsh's 35 points. With that win, the Fillies qualified for State.

On Saturday, game 10, Kelly Walsh played Evanston. The game went into overtime and Kelly Walsh won 58-54. Kelly Walsh qualified for State and Evanston was eliminated. For game 11, Star Valley played Rock Springs, with Star Valley winning the game 47-28. Star Valley qualified for State and Rock Springs was eliminated. In game 12, Star Valley played Kelly Walsh for third place, with Star Valley winning the game 42-39.

The Championship game was between Green River and Cody. Green River put up a great fight but couldn't take down Cody, losing the game 38-57. Head Coach Rick Carroll said Cody plays very consistently and they don't make a lot of mistakes. He added, "We actually got them to turn the ball over a little bit but we didn't take advantage of that."

Early in the game Green River just got in too big of a hurry and turned the ball over too much. The second half, Green River got their nerves under control and really started playing hard, trying to match Cody's intensity.

"I think we grew as a team and realized, if you're going to play with the best teams in the state, you better figure it out earlier in the game," explained Coach Carroll.

Leading the team was Isabel Vasco with 12 points, along with Ella Stanton with seven rebounds and three steals. Brianna Strauss, Jayla Braden and Isabel Vasco had two steals each.

"I am just really proud of the girls," added Coach Carroll. "I'm proud of how our entire program has improved through the course of the year and how we've learned to compete. We've gotten better in all aspects of the game."

The Lady Wolves left town on Tuesday to ensure they would make it to Casper with winter conditions continuing through Wyoming. The 4A State Championships begin today with Green River playing Sheridan. The teams competing are Green River, Cody, Star Valley, Kelly Walsh, Cheyenne East, Thunder Basin, Campbell County and Sheridan.