Lady Tigers scratch one out at State

The Encampment Lady Tigers plowed through the winter weather the first week in March to compete in the 1A/2A State Basketball Tournament.

Entering as the No. 4 seed for the West, the Lady Tigers faced off against the Southeast Lady Cyclones, the Arvada-Clearmont Lady Panthers and the Little Snake River Valley (LSRV) Lady Rattlers. All together, Encampment went 1-2 for the tournament.

While the Lady Tigers didn't return home with any hardware, they had at least made it to the State Tournament for the first time in several years.

Encampment vs. Southeast 

The Lady Tigers took on Southeast for the quarterfinal round of the state tournament on Thursday. The Lady Cyclone blew into the match-up with an intimidating 25-2 season record. Along with facing a No. 1 seeded team, this was the first time Encampment's girls had played in the Ford Wyoming Center.

Head Coach Clint Bromley said the girls were a little tight and didn't shoot the ball enough to win the game, but gained a lot of good experience.

Kyenna Jackson shot 10 points and picked up 8 rebounds, Cora Schroeder followed close behind gaining 6 points.

The game ended 43-19 in favor of Southeast, with girls playing Arvada-Clearmont on Friday. 

Encampment vs. Arvada-Clearmont

During the regular season, Encampment faced a duo of Lady Panthers for conference games. To be able to stay in the tournament, they had to face the Lady Panthers of Arvada-Clearmont.

The Lady Tigers were able to sink their claws into the semi-final consolation round for they first win in Casper.

"This was the girls' first win at the State tournament in their career and will become a stepping stone for future seasons," said Coach Bromley. "This win defined our season and verified that we had the talent to be at the state tournament."

Schroeder snatched 13 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in this game, with Jackson picking up 11 points and 5 rebounds. The game ended 38-27 in favor of Encampment. 

Encampment vs. LSRV 

The final game for Encampment was against a familiar conference rival, the Lady Rattlers. Both teams needed to face off to determine who would be heading home with a consolation trophy.

"This was an exciting game with several lead changes," said Coach Bromley. "We won a majority of the game, out shooting the Rattlers from 2, and won the rebound total, but we didn't shoot the ball well enough from the line and it cost us the opportunity to win the Consolation trophy." 

The senior girls were playing their last high school game and they left everything on the wood. Cora Schroeder made 12 points, with 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Allison Bromley gained 11 points for her team, with 6 steals, 5 rebounds and 2 assists. Kyenna Jackson put 10 points on the board, and grabbed 14 rebounds. The game went to LSRV's Lady Rattlers after going into overtime, ending with Encampment at 39 and LSRV at 42. 

"All in all we are proud of our girls for making it to the state tournament and getting a win and we hope it will show them anything is possible when you work hard," said Bromley.