A consolation for the Lady Rattlers

Head Coach Mark Gillies is proud of the Little Snake River Valley (LSRV) Lady Rattlers.

“There were plenty who didn’t think we would get to regionals this year, much less state,” Gillies said. “To get to walk away with some hardware and a win for our last game, it feels pretty good and I am really proud of this team.”

Gillies said there were times in the season the team did not play up to their capabilities. He knew there was talent on the team, but too often there was not strong consistency.

That changed as the regular season was ending and the Lady Rattlers peaked at the right time and found themselves a third seed in regionals.

The team played some good basketball during the state tournament. Not always winning, but strong enough to make it to state as a 4th seed. The Lady Rattlers faced off against the Upton Lady Bobcats, the Rock River Lady Longhorns and the Encampment Lady Tigers.

Lady Rattlers vs. Lady Bobcats

The first team LSRV faced, Upton, were the eventual State Champions.

“We started out well and played with them and they are a very good team,” Gillies said. “Then I guess we just sort of ran out of gas and Upton won”.

The Lady Bobcats took the game 58-39.

Lady Rattlers vs. Lady Longhorns

Gillies told his team that the game against Rock River was decisive. If they lost, it was over.

“Coach (Clay) Evans and I said all season, we felt we were a top five team if we played to our potential,” Gillies said. “I told the girls they could win games if they acted and came together as a top five team. We finally did it at the right time.”

He said Rock River was a fine team and he knew it was going to be a challenge.

“It is a hard game to come in and play after losing the way we did,” Gillies said. “As we played, I thought we played kind of flat, but actually our statistics showed we played a great game. We out rebounded them and had a lot of assists, so we did a lot of good things in that game.”

Gillies felt Rock River was a good matchup for the Lady Rattlers and he was glad the team came together to win the game 56-48.

“It was not an easy win, but at halftime we talked and I said it was do or die,” Gillies recounted. “The girls came out and played hard and did it as a team.”

Gillies did mention Kylie Evans as having excellent games throughout the tournament.

“Kylie just played really well all tournament,” Gillies said. “She was great.” 

Lady Rattlers vs. Lady Tigers

The next team they faced for 5th in the consolation game was Encampment. This would be the fourth meeting of the teams this season.

“We knew how good they were by playing them already this season,” Gillies said. “We knew we could beat them and we knew they could beat us.”

Encampment won one of their meetings and the Lady Rattlers won two.

“It was a crazy game. We had a nine point lead with just a little over a minute left and when Encampment came back we only ended up winning by three points,” Gillies said. “I told the girls, I think you girls like to stress me out. Missing free throws and turning the ball over are hard to watch as the game is ending.”

He said the last minute was a nightmare for a coach as he saw a substantial lead being chipped away.

“But we did just enough to pull off the win,” Gillies said. “Give Encampment credit. They never gave up even as the clock was winding down. They are a team any coach respects.”

The score ended 42 to 39 with the Lady Rattlers winning the consolation game, making them 5th in the state.”

A good finish for a team many had picked not to go to regionals. 

Gillies and Evans were right. The Lady Rattlers were a top five team.

“I told my wife, it was a lot more fun giving the end of the year speech after winning a game rather than doing it after losing one,” Gillies joked. “We came together at the right time. We as a team were looking for a good end to the season, and we accomplished it.”