HEM muzzles Bulldogs

On December 15, the Hanna, Elk Mountain, Medicine Bow (HEM) Lady Miners and Miners hosted the sophomore teams of the 3A Wheatland Lady Bulldogs and Bulldogs.

Lady Miners vs Lady Bulldogs

The Lady Miners took to the court first. While it was only their second game of the season, the team showed how sharp they were as they quickly dominated the scoreboard.

In the 1st quarter, HEM threw up 22 points on the board while keeping the Wheatland sophomores to a single point.  The 2nd quarter saw Wheatland get 6 points compared to the Lady Miners' 8 points. HEM went into the half leading 30-7. The Lady Bulldog sophomores did not get into double digits until the 3rd quarter of the match. Going into the last quarter, HEM was up 47-10 and both teams played strong defense.

Jackie Jones, head coach of the Lady Miners, substituted most her starting line-up in the second half, giving the less experienced players opportunities to play.

Despite the additional scoring in the second half and the defense in the final quarter, Wheatland was unable to close the gap between themselves and the Lady Miners.

The final score was 54-11.

"Aside from the starters, I think our shining stars were Avery Scott and Mackenzie Priest," J. Jones said. "Avery gets after it no matter what position and what is impressive about Mackenzie, is that she so incredibly coachable. She is not afraid mix it up. So it is darn exciting to have freshmen like that."

J.Jones said she liked putting junior Rainey Wilson in a leadership role on the court.

"It was fun to put Rainey out there with all those younger girls because she will be in that leader role next year," J. Jones said. "She was pointing where they needed to be, where to go and that is a mark of a seasoned high school basketball player."

J. Jones said, in basketball, it is the little things that add up.

"The defense that Mackenzie was playing were the little things that later on will make a difference," J. Jones said. "It is going to make her a good basketball player."

J. Jones said she also stresses defense as it leads to good things as well. Additionally, the girls' head coach said it felt good that the Lady Miners finally had a team with a substantial amount of seniors.

"It is our goal to make the most of every opportunity we get to make on the court this season," J Jones said. "There are obviously things we need to fine tune, but this is a group of girls that are going to do it."

The Lady Miners will host the Encampment Lady Tigers at 4 p.m. on January 8 and will be hosted by the Dubois Lady Rams at noon on January 9.

Miners vs Bulldogs

The Miners wasted no time in taking over as they buried the Wheatland sophomores in a double-digit deficit. Going into the 2nd quarter, HEM led the Bulldogs 21-0 as they prevented Wheatland from sinking their teeth in at all. The 2nd quarter, saw little scoring until Devon Grosstick hit a bucket for 2 points. It was 23-0.

Kyle Proffitt hit free throws and the score was 27-5. By the time it was halftime, the score was 31-9. 

The Miners scored first in the 3rd quarter and when the quarter was over, HEM was ahead 45-13. The final quarter saw HEM prevent the sophomore Bulldogs from scoring any points while they racked up 18 more points, making the final score 63-13.

HEM Head Coach Cliff Jones was happy with what he saw because the team had balanced scoring and strong rebounding.

"The team is starting to develop," C. Jones said. "Devon, Ura (Schmidt) and Taylor (Widdison)-my seniors-are starting to get back into the groove and we have others that are starting to come up and do the job."

Sophomore Rayce Ward also made his coach proud. With a solid six-foot frame, Ward not only scored, but found a player to pass to who, in turn, scored. C. Jones was also happy with Grosstick passing the ball.

"Devon could have probably scored several times that he passed the ball, but by passing he gave the newer players more experience," C. Jones said. "A coach always likes to see that."

When they return from their holiday break, HEM will host the Encampment Tigers at 4 p.m. on January 8 and will be hosted by the Dubois Rams at noon on January 9.