Girls break through, beat the Lady Blue

By Marlys Good

In what Coach Jeff Hunt described as “one of our best games of the year,” the Greybull Lady Buffs went to Shoshoni Friday, put together four solid quarters both offensively and defensively and beat the Lady Blue 47-22.  Greybull scored in double digits in all four quarters and held their opponents in single digits in all four quarters.
“The girls came out hungry for a win and they worked hard to get it,” said Hunt. “We started out aggressive and under control.”
The Buffs had an excellent night offensively, hitting 42.6% from the field. Kennedy Craft was the only Lady Buff in double digits with 13 points, but nine Buffs in all put points on the scoreboard.
Coach Hunt said his team “stuck to the game plan, even when Shoshoni hit some early shots. We talked a lot about persevering over the week and playing through those adverse moments. Shoshoni hit a few early threes, but it didn’t phase us at all.”
Another key to the victory was defense. Hunt said his team’s goal going in was to hold their opponent to under 15 points per half; the Buffs met that goal. The Lady blue scored just 12 points the first half and 10 points in the second half.
Another key? “We put a lot of pressure on their guards and we boxed out better than we ever have.” He attributed the 42.6% field goal shooting to being “very patient in our offense. We had great ball movement and worked hard to play inside-out.”
The game Saturday against Tongue River was dominated by the Lady Eagles.  Hunt noted that the Eagles are the No. 1 team in Class 2A for a reason. “They are very disciplined and fundamental,” he said.
TR led 15-6 after the first quarter and eventually prevailed, 44-19.
“We couldn’t get anything going on offense,” said Hunt. “They shot really well, too. They are fast and like to attack the basket on the dribble. We worked to keep them in front of us, but we knew we would give up some threes. They didn’t miss early.”
TR ended the game with five 3-pointers — all of those five coming in the first half. “I have to give them credit for that,” Hunt said.
The Buffs struggled to shoot and had one of their worst shooting games. “Tongue River likes to put pressure on teams and force unwanted shots and it worked on us,” said Hunt.
The impressive shooting percentage of Friday went down to just  16.7% on Saturday.  In fact, seven of their 19 points came from the free throw line. Craft scored seven points and Perla Rodriguez added six.
It’s a trip to Basin Thursday for the Buffs and a chance to play traditional rival, the Riverside Rebels in a non-conference game. Although Riverside is a 1A team, the rivalry has stood the test of time. The stands will be filled with fans, and it’s always a fun atmosphere.
JV action starts at 4 and the varsity at 5:30 p.m. 
Greybull        10  15  10  12 - 47
Shoshoni          8    4    6    4 - 22
GREYBULL:  Jasmine Rodriguez 2 0-0 4; Ashtyn Chapman 1 0-0 2; Mataia Henderson 2 2-2 7; Shayne Cheatham 2 0-0 5; Marlee Hensen 0 1-2 1; Sarah Murph 2 0-0 4; Perla Rodriguez 2 1-2 5; Kennedy Craft 6 0-0 13; Ashley Gomez 3 0-0 6. Totals 20-47 4-7 47.
3-POINT GOALS — Henderson, Cheatham, Craft. REBOUNDS — Greybull 41 (Craft 12);  STEALS — Greybull 20 (Chapman 5);   ASSISTS — Greybull 10 (Henson 3);  TURNOVERS — Greybull 29.  
Tongue R.         15  13  14  2 - 44
Greybull           6    3    5  5 - 19
GREYBULL:  Chaise Benasky 1 1-2 3; Sarah Murph 1 1-2 3; P. Rodriguez 2 2-6 6; Craft 2 3-6 7. Totals 6-36 7-16 19.
REBOUNDS — Greybull 31 (Rodriguez, Chapman 5);  STEALS — Greybull 9 (Craft, Chapman 2).  ASSISTS — Greybull 5 (Benasky 3).  TURNOVERS — Greybull 19.