Lady Wolves play tough competition at Flaming Gorge Classic Tournament

The Lady Wolves Basketball team competed in the Flaming Gorge Classic Basketball Tournament last week against some tough competition. Although Green River only came away with one win, they have been seeing improvements and their teamwork is making them stronger defensively.

On Thursday, Green River took on the Mountain View Buffalos. The Lady Wolves hit the court strong and scored 15 points in the first quarter. Green River played really strong defense during the game and kept the lead throughout. The Lady Wolves were victorious with a final score of 52-43. Isabel Vasco led the team with 15 points and three three-point shots along with Addison Demaret with 11 rebounds and Brianna Strauss with five assists.

On Friday, Green River played the Thunder Basin Bolts. The Lady Wolves let Thunder Basin get the lead in the first half of the game and struggled scoring in the second quarter. In the third quarter, Green River's defense was strong and only allowed Thunder Basin to score six points. Unfortunately it wasn't enough to get the lead, and the Lady Wolves fell short, losing with a final score of 51-58. Brianna Strauss led the team with 12 points along with Demaret with eight rebounds and Vasco with five assists. Strauss and Demaret each made two three-point shots.

On Saturday, Green River played their final game against the Pinedale Wranglers.

The Lady Wolves had the lead in the first quarter but struggled to make shots in the second quarter, and Pinedale took the lead. Green River outscored Pinedale in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough to put them ahead of the Wranglers. The Lady Wolves lost the game with a final score of 41-49. Vasco led the team with 26 points and four three-point shots along with Demaret with eight rebounds and Strauss with two assists.

Head Coach Rick Carroll thinks the ladies played strong throughout the tournament, but he feels they need to work on making their shots when they have the opportunity, particularly in the second quarter of the game. During the game against Mountain View, he thinks they played great defensively and were boxing out for the rebounds. He said during the game against Thunder Basin and Pinedale the ladies weren't scoring and were missing shots that really hurt them offensively.

"When you're in a close game, those free throws are kind of a big deal," explained Coach Carroll. "If you step up with a little bit of patience and relax and then make some free throws, you've got a really good chance of keeping that lead."

Coach Carroll thinks some of the younger ladies are still a bit nervous, and when they figure out how to play with more confidence they will see more improvement on the court. He thinks the ladies start the games off with a lot of intensity, and they are going to work on figuring out how to keep that intensity throughout the game and play with more consistency.

The Lady Wolves will still be practicing during the Christmas break and will start competing again on January 4. They will travel to Cheyenne to compete in the Cheyenne Invite for three days of basketball games.