Lady Wolves win consolation trophy at State

Last week the Green River Lady Wolves Basketball team went to Casper to play in the 4A State Tournament. Despite some struggles in their first game, they were able to rally together and have a great ending to their tournament. They ended the weekend with a 2-1 record and managed to win the consolation trophy game on Saturday.

They began their tournament against the Campbell County Camels on Thursday. The game started out close, with Green River being down only two points at the end of the first quarter. The team struggled to make their shots in the second quarter however, and by the end of the first half Green River was trailing 14-32. The Lady Wolves played better in the second half and tried their best to fight back into the game, but the early deficit was too much to recover from, and they lost the game 41-57.

Green River's leading scorer for this game was Isabel Vasco with 22 points. She also led the team in steals with four total. She was followed by Nicole Wilson and Natalie Tynsky, who each scored six points. Vasco, Wilson and Sophia Arnold tied for the most rebounds, with all three girls getting six rebounds.

Even with the disappointment of an early loss, the team didn't give up and came back strong on day two. Their next opponent was the Star Valley Braves, and the Lady Wolves weren't going to make the same mistake twice. The team had a tremendous offensive game, outscoring the Braves 43-24 in the first half. They continued to land their shots in the second half, leading them to to a 76-40 win, which was a season high score for the team.

Vasco led the team in both scoring and assists, with an impressive 27 points and six assists. Wilson and Tynsky also scored in the double digits, with 18 and 11 points respectively. Wilson and Arnold led the team in rebounds once more, with eight each. Sydnie Eastman was just behind them with six rebounds, and also led the team in steals with six total.

Head Coach Clinton Landon said he couldn't be more happy with the way the team bounced back in this second game. He commended the team's resilience, and felt that they had overcome a lot this year.

"They're battle tested. They're some of the strongest kids I've ever been around," he stated.

Green River's next and final game was the Consolation Finals against the Natrona Fillies. This game was a rematch of the Regional Finals two weeks ago, so both teams knew what to expect and were ready to give everything they had to try to end their season with a win. Green River came out swinging in this game as well, and was leading 30-21 by halftime. They scored another 30 points in the second half, and came away with a 60-45 victory, making them the winners of the consolation trophy.

Vasco led the charge once again for the team, scoring 23 points along with eight rebounds and four steals. She had a great tournament, scoring more than 20 points in all three games. Not far behind was Wilson with 15 points, and Arnold with nine points. Wilson and Arnold both had amazing rebounding in this game as well, with Wilson getting 13 rebounds and Arnold getting 10. Addison Demaret played well this game too, as she got five points and led the team in blocked shots with four total.

On top of being Regional Champions and winning the consolation trophy at State, Green River also had four players who were awarded with All-Conference accolades for the 4A West Conference for this season: Isabel Vasco, Nicole Wilson, Addison Demaret, and Sophia Arnold. Vasco was also voted the Player of the Year for their conference, and Wilson was voted Defensive Player of the Year. Coach Landon mentioned that there are a lot of amazing players in the conference, so it's really special for Vasco and Wilson to be recognized for their talent, especially with both girls being underclassmen. In addition, Wilson and Vasco were both awarded with All-State honors.

Coach Landon said he is thrilled with how the team played this year. They had a record of 5-1 between both Regionals and State, which is a great way to end the season.

"I think that's something they can be very proud of. We played our best basketball at the end of the year," he stated. He also mentioned how many of their players will be returning next year, and that he is hopeful that the girls can work hard and have another good season next year.