Two more Tiger Wins

The Encampment Tigers girls basketball team decidedly defeated the Ft. Washakie Eagles and Rock River Longhorns in the Tiger Den last weekend.

The Tigers topped the Eagles 64-31 on Friday and held the Longhorns to four points during a 38-4 victory on Saturday.

With the two victories, Encampment's record improves to 9-6 including 3-2 in conference play.

In the 1A Southwest conference – the Tigers are tied for second with Farson-Eden (5-10, 3-2 Conference and trail only to the table leader Cokeville (10-4, 4-0).

The Tigers are feeling good but don’t want to get ahead of themselves, according to head coach Mandy Westerman.

“We keep having the conversation of ‘how do we want to make this look? How are we going to keep pushing ourselves? How are we going to tackle whatever the next mountain is to tackle?” Westerman said. “We’re trying to not look too far ahead because there’s a lot of battles leading up to Regionals or States.”

The big things the Tigers are focused on is honing skills, not straying too far from the basics and keeping confidence and motivation, she said.

Dominant defense

The Encampment defense was dominant all weekend but specifically showed sharpness against Rock River. Only allowing four points on Saturday, the Tigers held the Longhorns to just one basket per half of play.

According to Westerman, the defining defensive factor is her Tigers love for competition and the game.

“My girls are just competitors,” Westerman said. “They just truly enjoy the game. In moments where we’ve been down and had to pick ourselves back up, I don’t draw up a special play or anything of that nature. What I ask is, ‘are we actually having fun? Are we playing basketball or just trying to win a game?”

The Tigers have the mental toughness to look past mistakes, be proud and pick each other back up, she said.

Physical Play

Similar to the boys varsity game against Ft. Washakie – the Tigers and Eagles tussled for loose balls, played through contact and wrestled over rebounds in a scrappy game on Friday.

Playing in tough games is right in the Tigers wheelhouse, according to Westerman.

“That’s how we like to play,” she said. “We like to show up, bring aggression and bring our heart to the floor. My girls are really good with loose balls, they want it. They’re not afraid to dive on the floor or go up for a rebound. They’re not afraid of the pressure.”

Looking ahead

The Encampment Tigers will head to Little Snake River for an in-conference matchup against the Rattlers on Friday, January 31 at 4:00 p.m.

The Tigers then play host to the Southeast Cyclones for an out-of-conference game with tip-off scheduled for Saturday, February 1 at noon.