Lady Buffs return with fast, fierce and experienced team

Of the Lady Buffs’ 16 players on the court this season, 11 are returning. The total is down slightly from last year. 

“Most teams are down in numbers throughout the state, so it’s not just us,” Coach Jeff Hunt commented. In his 15^th year, 12^th as head coach, Hunt will be joined by returning assistant coaches Nate Boyer and Payten Sorensen. 

Star player Perla Rodriguez, who made the all-region team last year as a sophomore and was number one in rebounds and blocks in the 2A conference, is expected to lead the way for the Buffs. Last season she led the team in scoring, rebounds and blocks. 

“We have some great experience coming back.  [Rodriguez] is a force and has made a name for herself in Wyoming record books already in just two years.  She will be the player teams are trying to shut down,” Hunt said. 

Seniors will be Shayne Cheatham, Jasmine Rodriguez, and Sherlyn Diaz-Rios, with Cheatham and Diaz-Rios as returning starters. Juniors Marlee Henson and Brooklyn Allen and sophomore Caitlyn Hunt will also suit up for varsity again this season. 

“We have a lot of speed on this team, and we’ll look to run the floor in transition,” Hunt said. “We also have some great shooters. We don’t have as much depth as we would like, but our younger girls are really surprising us.  They have stepped up and are showing a ton of growth early on.”

Last season the Buffs didn’t see the ending they wanted, losing out at regionals. Hunt predicted Greybull would be an aggressive contender in this season’s 2A competition. With Rocky Mountain and Thermopolis both hanging in the top five all of last season and Wyoming Indian always tough competition in the west, the Buffs have the goal of challenging them by becoming one of the top defensive teams in the conference. 

“We are working hard to be in better shape than other teams this year.  We’ll use our size to our advantage but will also get out and run on teams to tire them out. Our main goal is to become a better defensive team this year,” Hunt reported. 

At the Buffs’ first tournaments this weekend, they will see competition from the east. Friday, Dec. 12, varsity travels to Wright High School for the Coal Miner’s Classic, taking on Wright at 9 a.m. and Sundance at 3 p.m. On Saturday, Dec. 13, they will play at Glenrock High School for the Herder Classic, facing 3A Glenrock at 9 a.m. and Tongue River at 3 p.m. in Glenrock Intermediate School. 

JV will play Wright at 10:30 a.m. and Sundance at 4:30 p.m. at Cottonwood Elementary in Wright on Friday; Glenrock at noon at Glenrock Intermediate School on Saturday. 

“We are all excited about this group and about the season.  This is such a great group of girls.  They are so positive and are always a fun group to be around,” Hunt said.