Buffs start fast

Boys win three at Wright, Glenrock

As opening weekends go, the Greybull Buffs couldn’t have asked for much more.  

The varsity boys won three of four in their annual appearance at the Coal Miner’s Classic in Wright and the Herder Classic in Glenrock, shaking off a 62-59 loss to the Panthers in their first game to knock off Sundance 49-46, the Herders 46-32 and Tongue River 58-34.

The Buffs showed improvement in their shooting, connecting on 39.1% of their attempts from the floor, a 5% improvement over their season average last year.

“If you’d have told me going in we’d come out 3 and 1, I would have taken it,” said Coach Logan Burningham. “Of course we have a lot of things to clean up, but it was a very positive way to start the season.”

Had a few breaks gone their way, the Buffs might have been 4-1.  They had Wright on the ropes, leading at every quarter stop before being overtaken late. Foul trouble was a factor, as several Buffs went into the half with three.

“We knew that wasn’t going to be good, that if the fouls continued to rack up, we’d have a hard time keeping the lead — and that’s what’s happened,” he said. “We had to go a little deeper into the bench than we wanted to.”

Wright ended up outscoring the Buffs 28-2 from the free-throw line.

Carter Jacobs led the Buffs with 20, followed by Caden Hunt with 17 and Yandel Hernandez 11. 

Burningham expected a strong test from Sundance, but head and ankle injuries to their best player left the Bulldogs vulnerable. “We played solid basketball for 3 1/2 quarters, then fell into the trap of trying not to lose instead of playing to win and stalled out in the fourth quarter.”

Sundance outscored the Buffs 14-8 in the frame, but the Buffs held on for the three point win.

Jacobs and Hunt again led the offense, finishing with 15 and 10, respectively.

The mother of all scoring runs helped the Buffs slip past Glenrock on Saturday.  The boys came out “flat” and “lacking the effort that was required,” according to Burningham, and as a result, trailed 28-14 at the half.

They completely turned it around in the second half, outscoring Sundance 31-1 in the third and first four minutes of the fourth before the Bulldogs hit a 3 to make it 45-32 with 3:40 left.

“I have to give Coach Armel credit; he kept things positive at the half, reminding the kids basketball is a game of runs, that we were fine and everything was still in front of us. We just needed to pick up our energy and effort,” Burningham said.  “As soon as we did that, everything changed.”

Rex Cooper “provided the spark,” playing aggressively on the offensive end and dominating the glass. He finished with 14 points and 10 boards.  Hunt followed with 13 and Hernandez nine.  

The Buffs never trailed in their 24-point win over Tongue River, getting 16 from Jacobs, 12 from Hernandez and 10 from Hunt. “It was a good way to end the tournament,” Burningham said.

Looking back on the four games, Burningham said he liked his team’s balance. “We had the same three in double figures or close in every game, but we also had role players who provided more than we’ve gotten in the past. I think we have more kids on the floor who can make a play, distribute, or hit a shot if needed.  Our execution was better than it usually is for this tournament too.”

The focus of practice this week will be on defensive end -- specifically, rebounding  and rotating out of the zone to better contest 3-point tries.

Foothills Classic

The Buffs are scheduled to play four more games this weekend at the Foothills Classic, hosted by Tongue River and Big Horn high schools.   

The Buffs open in Dayton with Friday games against the Eagles, at 1:30 p.m., and Moorcroft, at 5 p.m. before closing it out in Big Horn Saturday with matchups against the Rams at 12:30 p.m. and Wright at 3:30 p.m.

Burningham expects Big Horn and Wright to provide the toughest tests. “We’re going to have to play with a lot of energy in both,” he said, adding that his team will be motivated to prove its effort against the Panthers wasn’t a fluke.

Wright 15 13 20 14 — 62

Greybull 21   8 23   7 — 59

GREYBULL — Caden Hunt 7 0-0 17, William Harlow 2 0-0 4, Cord Edeler 3 0-0 7, Yandel Hernandez 5 1-2 11, Carter Jacobs 10 0-0 20.  Totals 27-of-63 1-of-2 59.

3-POINT GOALS — Hunt 3, Edeler.   REBOUNDS — Greybull 37 (Jacobs 11).  STEALS — Greybull 10 (Hunt 3).  ASSISTS — Greybull 15 (Jacobs, Hunt 4).  TURNOVERS — Greybull 18.

Sundance 17   5 10 14 — 46

Greybull 11 14 16   8 — 49

GREYBULL — Hunt 4 0-2 10, Harlow 1 0-0 2, Anthony Chacon 1 0-0 2, Edeler 3 0-0 7, Cooper 2 0-2 4, Hernandez 4 1-2 9, Jacobs 6 1-2 15.  Totals 21-of-61 2-of-8 49.

3-POINT GOALS — Hunt 2, Jacobs 2, Edeler.  REBOUNDS — Greybull 32 (Hernandez 7).  STEALS — Greybull 19 (Edeler 5).  ASSISTS — Greybull 10. TURNOVERS — Greybull 13.

Glenrock 15 13   1   3 — 32

Greybull   7   7 14 18 — 46

GREYBULL — Hunt 5 1-4 13, Edeler 1 0-2 2, Cooper 5 4-8 14, Hernandez 2 5-7 9, Jacobs 2 3-4 8.  Totals 15-of-39 13-of-25 46.

3-POINT GOALS — Hunt 2, Jacobs.  REBOUNDS — Greybull 41 (Hernandez 10).  STEALS — Greybull 8 (Edeler 4).  ASSISTS — Greybull 8 (Edeler 3).  TURNOVERS — Greybull 16.

Tongue R.   9   6   5 14 — 34

Greybull 16 19 19   4 — 58

GREYBULL — Hunt 4 0-0 10, Harlow 2 0-0 4, Chacon 1 0-0 2, Kamryn Gorski 1 0-0 2, Edeler 1 0-0 3, Cooper 5 2-2 12, Hernandez 4 1-3 9, Jacobs 7 1-2 16.  Totals 25-of-61 4-of-7 58.

3-POING GOALS — Hunt 2, Edeler, Jacobs.  REBOUNDS — Greybull 34 (Hunt 7).  STEALS — Greybull 13 (Chacon 4).  ASSISTS — Greybull 15 (Hunt 5). TURNOVERS – Greybull 11.