Hustle and grit

The young Lady Tigers of Encampment continue working through the season as they attempt to find their footing on the hardwood. Over the weekend, the Encampment girls were dealt a loss both at home and on the road. Little by little, however, it appears that they are getting a game put together that may get them into the regional tournament at the end of the month.

Lady Tigers vs. Lady Miners

On Friday afternoon, the Hanna, Elk Mountain, Medicine Bow (HEM) Lady Miners descended into Tiger Nation. Except for a loss from the Rock River Lady Longhorns, HEM has gone through their season undefeated. The Lady Tigers, however, started out their game undeterred by HEM's record.

"I think we came out in our first three quarters and I think we made some really smart decisions," said junior Shiann Finney. "Had a lot of hustle, had a lot of grit."

That hustle and grit would lead Encampment to seeing a lead against the Lady Miners by as much as 10 points. Even when HEM would try to apply pressure, the Lady Tigers would work together to get the ball down the court and in the basket.

Despite that promising lead, however, the Lady Miners would find a way to dig deep and snag victory from Encampment's hands.

"I think we made some stupid mistakes in the last quarter that we will fix and we will get better," said Finney.

"We just haven't quite got a total game completed yet but I think they're getting better," said Clint Bromley, head coach of the Lady Tigers. "Last week it was two quarters, this week it was three. If we can continue in that progression, I think we can find a game where we can win somewhere down the road."

The final score against the Lady Miners was 31-38.

Lady Tigers vs. Lady Rattlers

Following their loss at home, Encampment was able to make it over to Baggs to be hosted by the Little Snake River Valley (LSRV) Lady Rattlers. The last time the Lady Rattlers (8-7, 3-1) faced Encampment it was in Tiger Nation and LSRV left with a win. 

The same would happen on the Lady Rattlers' home court and Encampment would be dealt another conference loss. Despite the gains that the Lady Tigers had been able to see the night before against HEM, LSRV would end the game against Encampment with a final score of 39-68.

After this weekend, the Lady Tigers are 3-10 for the season and 0-5 in conference play. They will get another chance at a conference win as they face their Valley rivals, the Saratoga Lady Panthers (7-7, 3-1) who are currently sitting at No. 2 in the 1A Southwest Conference. 

The Lady Tigers will host the Lady Panthers beginning at noon on January 8 in Encampment.