Lady Grizz make good showing at Big Horn Basin Shootout

The Rocky Mountain High School girls fared well at the Big Horn Basin Shootout held on the RMHS campus this weekend, winning two out of three games played and having four girls named to the all-tournament team.“It was truly great to play at home in front of our great supportive Grizz fans,” said Coach Eric Honeyman.[caption id="attachment_9661" align="alignright" width="258" class=" "] Sophomore Summer Johnson takes the ball down the court with a Meeteetse player hot on her heels on Friday, Dec. 19 in Cowley.[/caption]The girls were off to a good start pounding Meeteetse in their first game of the tournament on Friday, 56–22.“The girls played a complete game,” said Honeyman. “All of the girls got a chance to play, and most importantly, the girls got some good quality time running our offense and defense assignments.”The girls pressed hard on Meeteetse, winning the first quarter 13-2. The pounding continued into the second and third quarters where Rocky won 25-8 and 16-4.  Meeteetse got a little bit of an edge in the last quarter 8-2, while Honeyman let some of his JV players get experience on the floor.The girls lost to Little Snake River on Saturday, 63-29, with shooter Mikaela Hocker on the bench due to foul trouble.The girls were in good form again later in the day when they took on Burlington, winning 28-16.Honeyman said he was very pleased with the performance of his players. He was especially pleased with the performance of Sarah Jones the entire weekend.“For the weekend, Sarah played a great tourney,” said Honeyman. “She may not flash you with a lot of points but she grabs seven rebounds and gives me three to four assists with 7 points. She has played very consistent this whole year and in all three games she played consistently. I am just proud of how she is playing. She also made the all-tourney team.”He said he was also very pleased with the performance of Maddie Crawford.“Maddie, who also made the all-tourney team, played like a great leader,” he said. “She commands the floor and gets girls lined up. I was happy how she is looking to shoot. She made some big shots for us this weekend. To me she seems to be playing at a high level and pushing those on the floor to do the same.”Marissa Arnold also made the all-tourney team.“She played really well averaging just over 11 points per game to go with 6 rebounds,” said Honeyman. “She is getting healthy and when she sets her feet she can shoot the ball. I have been super impressed with her desire on defense. She is a girl that plays both ends. I love that about her.”Mikaela Hocker also made the all-tourney team.“Mikaela is the final of the four who made the all-tourney team,” said Honeyman. “She came out with a bang with 20 points in the game against Meeteetse, but was in foul trouble with Little Snake River. She is very important to our team. When she isn’t out there we have a tough time running our offense. She averaged just over 11 points per game to go with 6 rebounds. One thing I think goes unnoticed is her passing. She is averaging 3.1 assists. She is only getting better.”Honeyman was also very pleased with some of the underclassmen like freshman Maddy Hocker.“Maddy Hocker, a freshman, has been stepping up and filling in for girls,” he said. “She is doing a good job. I like how she isn’t scared and fights at all times on the floor. She is continuing to get more and more comfortable on the floor.”He was also pleased with the performance of Summer Johnson.“Summer played a great game against Burlington,” he said. “With my bench I feel it out and see who is playing well and is comfortable. During this game she played four quarters and played I thought her best game on varsity. Her defense is good and seems to really be starting to slow down on the offensive side of the ball.”Abby Arnold is another freshman Honeyman said is showing promise.“Abby is another freshman who played a lot over the weekend,” he said. “She comes in and has to run the point and does a good job. She wants to do her best and wants to win. I love how she is a fighter.”He also noted that Livia Higgins continues to play great defense and rebounds the ball very well.“Her defense leads to a lot of errors on the other team,” he said. “She rebounds very well. She is one of our top rebounders.”Though pleased overall with the team, he said there are a few things they need to work on, like free throws and rebounds.“As for the games, we were horrible at shooting free throws,” he said. “Also, our rebounding needs to get a lot better, when we play against bigger teams. As a team we really need to improve that. It was great to beat Burlington after they beat us.”Next up, the girls will host Tongue River at home on Saturday, Jan. 9, with games starting at 1 p.m.