Lady Grizz fall to strong Powell squad

The Rocky Mountain Lady Grizzlies kicked off the new year with a formidable task: taking on the fourth ranked Class 3A Powell Lady Panthers Friday night in Cowley.
The Lady Grizz hung tough with the tall and talented Panthers early, trailing 9-6 after a defensive first quarter. Powell edged ahead with a 12-5 second-quarter advantage, outscoring the Grizzlies 12-5 to lead 21-11.
Shelby Wambeke scored 5 points in the first half for Rocky Mountain, Lauren Bassett 4.
The third quarter spelled doom for the Lady Grizz as Powell outscored the home team 14-2 to lead 35-13. The two teams traded baskets in the fourth quarter as Powell capped off a 43-20 win.
Wambeke and Bassett finished with 7 points each, Rylee Winland 4 and MacKelle Moss 2. Bassett pulled down nine rebounds for the Lady Grizz, Moss five. Wambeke had four steals, Bassett three.
“I was pleased with our effort,” Rocky coach Justin Moss said. “We played hard and defended throughout the game. We also did a good job of taking care of the ball against the press. Both Powell and the Lady Grizz had 18 turnovers.
“We only shot 15 percent from the field, which makes it difficult to win any game. We missed some shots we usually make. That made it difficult for us to get into our press, which would have created more baskets for us. We also were timid in the paint. We got our shot blocked early but then just shot quite a few off-balance shots inside. But Powell is good. They have good athletes and were bigger and more physical than us. The Thorington girl (Addy) played really well, and it seemed like each time we were going to get something going, the Erickson girl (Coy) hit a three.
“I love that we are scheduled to play these strong 3A schools. Win or lose, playing up a level helps us find and fix our weaknesses, which really helps us as we prepare for conference play.”
BHB Classic
Next up, the Lady Grizz will play in the annual Big Horn Basin Classic, hosting one of two sites for girls teams Friday and Saturday.
The Lady Grizz open with St. Stephens Friday at 1:30 p.m. at the RMHS Gym (JVs at noon in the auxiliary gym), then meet Worland Friday at 7:30 p.m. (JVs at 6 p.m. in the auxiliary gym).
Friday’s games will determine the pairings for Saturday contests, with the two third-place teams from pool play meeting at 11 a.m., first-place teams at 12:30 p.m. and second-place teams at 2 p.m., with the tournament championship game at 4:30 p.m. in Powell.