Grizz split conference games with Greybull and Shoshoni

Although the Rocky Mountain Grizzlies have clinched second place in the 2A West heading into the regional tournament in Riverton, they came away from a pair of weekend conference games against Greybull and Shoshoni with a sour taste in their mouths, coach Pat Winland said.

Rocky Mountain edged Greybull in Greybull Friday night, 48-47, but fell to Shoshoni at home Saturday, 32-29, in the final home game of the season.

“I think we played three out of eight quarters pretty well this weekend,” Winland said. “We kind of started to hit the slide in the fourth quarter against Greybull, and that continued into the next day offensively. I think our defense is where it needs to be, and we’re always looking to improve that, but offensively, it was disappointing.”

Rocky roared out to a 16-4 lead at Greybull Friday as Jaxon Hayes drilled two three-pointers, Cooper Winland hit a long jumper in the key, Evin Clendenen went strong inside for a three-point play and Mason Moss hit a trey and pounded home a dunk on a pass from Kellan Jackson. Leading 11-4 at the quarter break, the Grizz continued the run into the second quarter and went on to lead 27-18 at halftime as Moss added two more treys, Hayes one.

Greybull hit a trio of treys in the third quarter to pull within three points at 38-35 before a triple and free throw by Moss gave the Grizz a seven-point lead at the quarter break, 42-35.

The Buffalos continued to pour it on in the fourth, pulling within one point, 44-43, with 5:18 to play, and after a three-point play by Winland on a power drive and free throw, the Buffs tied the score 47-47 by converting two Rocky turnovers into points. Winland hit one of two at the foul line with 53 seconds left to put Rocky up 48-47.

Things got dicey down the stretch. Cord Edeler, who had drained four treys for Greybull in the game, missed from downtown, and Greybull grabbed the offensive rebound. After a scramble for the ball near the sideline, Moss bounced the ball off a Greybull player out of bounds to give the Grizz the ball with 28 seconds left.

Not being in the bonus, the Buffs had to foul three times to put Rocky at the line, and Moss finally went to the stripe with 20 seconds left but missed both free throws. Caden Hunt drove for Greybull and missed off the backboard over Clendenen with eight seconds left. The ball was tapped around, and Greybull snared the offensive board. Larry Longshore then drove and missed at the buzzer as the Grizz escaped with a one-point win. Moss grabbed the final rebound to preserve the victory.

The Buffs shot well at home from downtown, hitting seven three-pointers, four by Edeler, who came into the game 8 for 55 from beyond the arc. The Grizz also shot well, hitting 8 of 16 deep shots and shooting 46 percent from the field overall.

“We weren’t expecting him (Edeler) to hit four three-pointers, based on what his stats had been through the year,” Winland said. “But give credit to him. He had some good looks and he knocked them down. We missed some free throws late and made it closer than we wanted it to be, obviously, and we also didn’t hit shots, which would carry into the next day.

“We just did enough to win and hurry and get on the bus and get out of there. It’s never easy, no matter what type of team we have, to get a win in Greybull.”

Moss finished with 22 points, Hayes 9, Winland 8, Clendenen 7 and Jackson 2. Winland led with eight rebounds, and Moss tallied seven boards, Jackson and Clendenen six apiece. Winland had five assists, Hayes three.

Shoshoni loss

Playing at home on Senior Night, the Grizz were off their game offensively against Shoshoni in a 32-29 loss. Shoshoni led 11-6 after the first quarter, but Rocky won the second 11-2 to lead 17-13 at halftime and appeared to have straightened things out.

However, the Grizz scored just one point in the third quarter as the offensive doldrums returned and trailed 19-18 after three. Surprisingly, the Grizz were unable to take command of the game in the fourth, and a 13-11 advantage left Shoshoni with a three-point win.

“That was as frustrating a game as I’ve ever had to coach in all my years.” Winland said. “Nothing seemed to work. After reviewing the film, we left 12 points on the board with shots we normally make, and there were eight loose balls that they got instead of us. I just want to give total credit to Shoshoni and the way they played us.

“They outhustled us, and we didn’t adjust the way we probably should have, but in the end we’ve got to make shots.”

The game was tied 29-29 late, and Jordan Gilbertson knocked down a three-pointer from the corner to put Shoshoni up by three. Rocky missed three treys in the final moments as the lid stayed on the basket for the Grizz.

Moss finished with 13 points, Winland 7, Jackson 5, Hayes 3 and Clendenen 1. The team shot just 25 percent from the field.

Winland, Jackson and Clendenen finished with six rebounds apiece, Hayes led with three assists, Moss tallied three steals and three blocked shots, and Winland and Clendenen had two blocks each.

One game left

The Grizz have one more regular season and conference game left on the schedule ahead of the regional tournament, traveling to meet number one Thermopolis (16-4) on the road Friday night.

The Grizzlies were competitive with the Bobcats at home on January 30 before falling 70-40, and Winland just wants the team to play better ahead of the regional tournament on Feb. 26-28.

“Hopefully, they enjoy playing against Thermopolis. Last time we made it competitive for about three quarters,” Winland said. “And then we’ll start focusing on next week. We just hope to see the ball go through the hoop a lot more.”

Tip-off times in Thermopolis Friday are a modified 2 (JV girls), 3:30 (JV boys), 5:30 (girls varsity) and 7 p.m., Winland said, with an extra half hour built in for Thermop senior night.

Winland said the Grizzlies have clinched second place in the conference standings based on the tie-breaking point differential in the two games against Shoshoni.