Grizz drop weekend conference games, gun for Wind River win

If the Rocky Mountain Grizzlies could just get over the hump …
Another oh-so-close and frustrating weekend for the Grizz has come and gone, this time against conference foes Greybull and Shoshoni.
Friday, the Grizzlies led conference leader Greybull 40-31 in the third quarter, only to fall behind and ultimately fall 61-52. Saturday in Shoshoni, the Grizz led by one in the final seconds but fell 51-50 on a late bucket.
The Grizzlies fell to 0-5 in the 2A Northwest.
Both Rocky and Greybull came out on fire in a rip-roaring first quarter Friday. Two three-pointers each by Bryce Haslem and Jacob Bischoff sparked the Grizz to a 20-18 lead at the end of the first quarter. A trey by Noah Johnson and 4 points each by Tucker Jackson and Bischoff in the second quarter helped the Grizzlies lead 31-27 at halftime, though they had a chance to go up by eight but turned the ball over in the waning seconds for a Greybull score.
Rocky went up 40-31 on an old-fashioned three-point play – bucket and free throw – by Alex Hedges halfway through the third, but a trey by Coby Henderson for Greybull launched a 13-2 run for the Buffs to close the third quarter, though a late drive by Cole Minchow kept the Grizz close trailing 44-42 at the quarter break.
Greybull went up 48-42 in the fourth, but Minchow stole the ball and fed Lafe Files for two, and Haslem hit two free throws to cut the deficit to two, 48-46. A Greybull three-point play was followed by a bucket by Files to keep the Grizz in the hunt down 51-48, but the Buffalos paraded to the line in the final three minutes, hitting 10 of 16 free throws to close out a 61-52 win.
After leading 40-31, the Grizz were outscored 30-12 the rest of the game.
The nemesis for the Grizzlies was a summertime American Legion Baseball teammate, Carlos Rodriguez, who poured in 27 points in the Greybull win, calmly rising and knocking down mid-range jumpers or scoring on the fast break, often after a steal.
“The difference for them was Carlos,” Rocky coach Pat Winland said. “He’s the head of their press, and he does a great job of getting to the basket and knowing when and where to hit his spots for his pull-up jumper.
“He’s one of the best athletes we’ve had in the conference for quite some time. He never seems to get tired. I will be glad to see him graduate. … Our turnovers turned into their points. We had some costly turnovers that turned into points for them. We didn’t shoot that terribly (40 percent). But we missed shots at key moments.”
Bischoff finished with 15 points for the Grizz, Jackson 10, Haslem 9, Files 8, Hedges 5, Johnson 3 and Minchow 2. Jackson led the team with seven rebounds, and Haslem and Minchow had four assists each. Files had six rebounds, Bischoff six boards and three steals.
“We’re close,” Winland said, “but right now close isn’t good enough. We’ve got to start making our free throws, getting that rebound in critical situations and, I say it over and
over, we’ve got to be able to hit shots.”
Shoshoni
Saturday’s game was close all the way. Rocky led 13-11 after the first quarter as Jackson scored 6 points, and Shoshoni led 24-22 at halftime. The two foes were tied 38-38 after three.
Down 41-38 early in the fourth, the Grizzlies rallied to take the lead as Bischoff tied it with a trey, Minchow knocked down a jumper and Jackson scored inside. Rocky led 45-41. Shoshoni came back to take the lead on a trey and a two-pointer, but Hedges scored on an in-bound play. Rocky led 47-46.
Shoshoni went up 48-47, but Hedges knotted the score again with one of two at the line – 48-all. Consecutive charging calls on Jackson fouled him out, and Shoshoni went up 49-48 on a free throw.
A put-back by Bischoff gave the Grizz the lead for the final time, 50-49, with a minute to play. Shoshoni worked the clock and was fouled. The Wranglers missed both free throws but grabbed an offensive rebound on the second miss. A bank shot inside with 12 seconds left put the home team up 51-50.
Winland called time out, then Shoshoni, too. Winland set up a play, and Bischoff’s trey missed at the buzzer.
“It seems like we’re always a play away,” Winland said. “They’re still working really hard. In our coaching staff’s eyes, nobody has packed it in. That’s all you can ask for at this point. I’m hoping one of these games turns into a win.”
Jackson was a beast on Saturday, finishing with 19 points and nine rebounds. Bischoff added 10 points, Haslem 9 points and four steals, Hedges 3 points and five boards. Max Cooley scored 3, Minchow, Files and Hudson May 2 apiece.
JVs
The Grizz dropped both junior varsity games last week, falling to Greybull 39-26 and Shoshoni 49-31.
Friday at home, a 14-7 second-quarter advantage gave the Buffs a boost in the otherwise close contest. Hayden Wambeke scored 7 points for the Grizz, Rylan Stebner 6, Kellan Jackson 4, Joaquin Scheeler 3 and Jacob Melton, Travis Crosby and Juan Rodriguez 2 each.
“Our guys have been playing better lately, and confidence has been growing,” coach Jeff Samson said. “Although this weekend wasn’t terrible, we did take a small step back. However, we talk a lot about keeping our confidence climbing even through some adversity. We just have to keep getting better. I’m confident we’ll bounce back next week to finish our season.”
Shoshoni built a 43-17 lead after three quarters Saturday before the Grizzlies closed the margin with a 14-6 fourth-quarter advantage. Scheeler led the Grizz with 21 points, and Wambeke added 4, Jackson, Stebner and Rodriguez 2 apiece.
Home finale
The Grizzlies will wrap up the regular season Friday at home against conference foe Wind River. The two teams battled in a close contest in Pavillion on January 26, with Wind River pulling out a 47-39 win.
“We need to keep working on little things in practice and focus on shooting, boxing out and players accepting and excelling in their roles,” Winland said. “Wind River can be a streaky shooting team. We’ll have to step up and make shots.”
Tip-off times in Cowley are 4 (JV), 5:30 (varsity girls) and 7 p.m. The 2A West Regional Tournament will take place in Riverton February 22-24.