Encampment claws their way into season

The Encampment Tigers continue to show that they have what it takes to compete in the tough 1A Southwest Conference and in the 1A Conference as a whole. In the past two weeks, the Tigers have secured wins against both 1A and 2A teams while on the road and at home.

On January 7, they took the sting out of the Pine Bluffs Hornets and followed with a successful game against the Hanna, Elk Mountain, Medicine Bow (HEM) Miners on January 8. This past Friday, Encampment hosted the Saratoga Panthers for their first home conference game and their first conference win of the season. The Tigers then hit the road, again, and defanged the Little Snake River Valley (LSRV) Rattlers in the Viper Pit.

Tigers vs. Hornets

Traveling east, Encampment ran past Cheyenne and into the Hornet's Nest to face Pine Bluffs. The Hornets currently sit at the top of the 2A Southeast Conference but were unable to find a weak spot on Encampment. While Pine Bluffs managed to score double digits in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, it was not enough to overcome the consistent double digit scoring of the Tigers.

With Encampment scoring 15 points in the 1st, 3rd and 4th quarters and 24 points in the 2nd quarter, the writing was on the wall for the Hornets. The Tigers would end the game with a 28 lead over the higher conference time.

The final score was 69-41.

Tigers vs. Miners

Returning to Carbon County, Encampment was hosted by the Miners on January 8. As HEM continues to work to find its new place on the hardwood this season, the Tigers dealt the hosting team a difficult loss that began in the 1st quarter as Encampment led 24-5 over the Miners.

The subsequent quarters saw more of the same as the Tigers threw double digits onto the scoreboard while keeping HEM to single digits.

The final score was 70-18.

Tigers vs. Panthers

For their first conference game of the season, Encampment hosted their Valley and conference rivals, the Saratoga Panthers. As the Panthers work to show that their 1A State Championship was not a one-off last year, Saratoga headed into Tiger Nation looking for a win on January 15.

While the two teams would be fairly evenly matched, it was Encampment that came away with the win during this matchup.

The final score was 65-55.

Tigers vs. Rattlers

Following their first conference win, Encampment hit the road to add another to the list as they went from one Valley to another. In the past, the Viper Pit has often served as a difficult venue for visiting teams. This time, however, the Tiger were able to get a win from LSRV on their home court.

The final score was 65-21.

Following their wins, the Encampment Tiger sit at the top of the 1A Southwest Conference as they are 8-0 for the season and 2-0 in conference play. The Tigers will host the Cokeville Panthers (4-4, 0-0) at 7 p.m. on January 22 and the Farson-Eden Pronghorns (7-1, 1-0) at 1:30 p.m. on January 23.