JACKSON, Wyo. — The Jackson Lady Broncs dropped two basketball games at home over the weekend. In both cases, Jackson was up against very good basketball teams but acquitted themselves well.
Friday night’s loss was a tough one for the girls. They gave the Rock Springs Tigers all they wanted in a court battle that ended in a 57-46 defeat.
Jason Huggins’ squad played hard, again, on Saturday afternoon but Kelly Walsh proved too much for the Lady Broncs. The Lady Trojans came is as the 8th ranked team in the state (Jackson is 42nd) averaging a whopping 48.4 points a game under head coach Sara Tuomi.
Kelly Walsh boasts two players headed to Division 1 collegiate volleyball. Seniors Naya Shime and Corin Carruth have both committed to Wyoming next year. The Lady Broncs had trouble containing their size underneath but Jackson forwards Bella Gwilliam and Gracie Hardeman boxed out where they could and played physical in the paint.
Hailey Hardeman paced all Jackson scorers with 8 points. Jenn Fuez added 5 off the bench. Megan Tucker and Gracie Hardeman added 4 each. Coach Huggins subbed in the entire varsity team, with some 15 different girls seeing playing time in the losing effort.
Final score Saturday: Kelly Walsh 68, Jackson 31. The Lady Broncs are now 2-15 on the season with Senior Night up next as Jackson hosts Star Valley on Friday, February 21.
Boys Basketball
The boys bounced back from a string of lopsided losses to play in a more confident game against Rock Springs Friday night. The Tigers’ 6-12 record is deceptive. This is a team that shut down the Casper powerhouse Kelly Walsh in a defensive battle back on January 31.
The Broncs were in the game all the way but could not manage to get the upper hand, losing 61-54 on Friday.
Jackson started strong against Kelly Walsh Saturday afternoon, leading after the first quarter 14-13, and trail by just 7 at the half (29-22).
But the Broncs came out flat after the break. Nothing would fall for the home team as they made just 11 of 38 shots from the field—far below their already dismal 35% field goal shooting percentage. After scoring 22 points in the first half, Jackson managed just 11 in the final 16 minutes.
Turnovers have been plagued the Broncs this season but they took better care of the ball Saturday, committing just 10 giveaways.
Evan Brunner led all Broncs scorers with 18. Silas Wotkyns chipped in another 9 points. Frustration is beginning to mount for Broncs. Forward Colter Dawson has already left the team, opting to wrestle instead. Evan Brunner was T’d up again for his conduct on the court.
Final score Saturday was Trojans 59, Broncs 36. Kelly Walsh improved to 10-6 on the season with the win. Jackson falls to 0-17. The Broncs will face Star Valley at home this Friday for Senior Night.
