Lady Buffs show promise in early going

Greybull’s Lady Buffs varsity basketball team put up a strong fight against some of their eastern competitors in Glenrock and Wright over the weekend, going 1-3. 

“We still have a long way to go, but I saw a lot of great things from our girls and even had a few younger ones surprise us with their play,” Coach Jeff Hunt said. 

The Buffs opened their season with a win over Wright, 67-42, on Friday. Perla Rodriguez put up 31 points for Greybull, also leading the team in rebounds and steals 

“Rodriguez did a great job on both ends of the court and is a force,” Hunt remarked. “She finished the weekend with almost 60 points and led us in rebounding with over 30.”

Overall, the Buffs had a solid weekend for shooting. Hunt noted in their first three games they sunk 35%. 

“That’s definitely one of our better shooting performances in an opening weekend,” he said. Marlee Henson was another boon for the Buffs, while teammate Shayne Cheatham took the most threes over the course of the tourney.  

Against Sundance the Buffs fell 59-38. Hunt noted that the team will need to work on their offensive sets as well as transitioning on offense. It was the start of a rough patch for Greybull, as they took two more on the chin Saturday: 62-41 Glenrock and a close 46-42 loss to Tongue River. 

“We had a lot of girls in foul trouble, and it created some substitution issues for us in a couple games,” Hunt said, noting that the team will work on discipline in defense. “But our freshmen did a great job stepping up and filling in for them!  We saw a lot of great things from all our players, but it was great to see them step in and take on that role.”

Hunt reported his team’s zone offense was in good working order, a positive sign as most of their conference rivals play zone. At the upcoming Foothills Tournament, he expected Tongue River and Wright could be a lot different after just one more week of practice, promising to keep the Buffs on their toes again this weekend. 

“We also play Big Horn,” Hunt noted. “They are ranked and have arguably the best point guard in 2A.  They will be tough, but I think we are up for the challenge.  Seeing two of the top five teams in 2A this weekend will give us more of an idea where we stand as well as show us what we are doing well and what we really need to work on over the next month.”

Moorcroft, Hunt predicted, would provide a good opportunity for the Buffs to work on their transition defense. 

Varsity plays at Tongue River High School Friday, Dec. 19 against Tongue River at noon and Moorcroft at 3:30 p.m. JV will bet at Tongue River Community Center against Tongue River at 1:30 p.m. and Moorcroft at 5 p.m. Saturday, the girls travel to Big Horn. Varsity plays Big Horn at 11 a.m. and Wright at 2 p.m. in Big Horn High School, JV will see Big Horn at 12:30 p.m. and Wright at 3:30 p.m. in Big Horn Middle School. 

Greybull 20 19 11 17 – 67

Wright   9 17   2 14 – 42

GREYBULL – Perla Rodriguez 13 5-10 31, Shayne Cheatham 3 1-3 9, Brooklyn Allen 3 0-0 6, Marlee Henson 3 0-2 6, Sherlyn Diaz-Rios 2 0-0 4, Fallon Hoffman 1 2-2 4, No. 2 1 0-0 3, No. 20 1 0-0 2. Totals: 27-67 10-19 67. 

3-POINT GOALS – Cheatham 2, No. 2 1. REBOUNDS – Greybull 41 (Rodriguez 9). STEALS – Greybull 24 (Rodriguez 5). ASSISTS – Greybull 20 (Diaz-Rios, Henson, Cheatham 4). TURNOVERS – Greybull 23. 

Sundance 6 12 23 18 – 59

Greybull 9   5 15   9 – 38

GREYBULL – Rodriguez 5 1-4 11, Henson 5 0-0 10, No. 20 2 1-2 5, Cheatham 1 0-0 3, Allen 1 1-2 3, Caitlyn Hunt 1 0-0 3, Hoffman 1 0-0 2, No. 21 0 1-2 1. Totals: 16-39 4-10 38. 

3-POINT GOALS – Cheatham 1, Hunt 1. REBOUNDS – Greybull 26 (Allen 6). STEALS – Greybull 10 (Henson 6). ASSISTS – Greybull 14 (Rodriguez 3). TURNOVERS -- Greybull 27. 

Glenrock 18 12 17 15 – 62

Greybull 11 10   7 13 – 41

GREYBULL – Rodriguez 4 1-2 9, Henson 4 0-0 8, Cheatham 2 1-2 6, Diaz-Rios 1 0-2 3, No. 2 0 2-2 2, Hoffman 1 2-2 4, No. 20 1 0-0 2, No. 21 2 2-3 7. Totals: 15-58 8-13 41. 

3-POINT GOALS – Cheatham 1, Diaz-Rios 1, No. 21 1. REBOUNDS – Greybull 35 (Rodriguez 12).  STEALS – Greybull 13 (Rodriguez, Cheatham 3). ASSISTS – Greybull 9 (Henson 3). TURNOVERS – Greybull 30. 

Tongue River statistics were not provided.