Tigers burn up the floor at homecoming

The Tigers were on fire for their homecoming weekend, proving to the crowd they own their number two rating in the southwest conference.

Fifteen seconds into the game, A.J. Kuster scored the first 2 points. Kyle Wessel followed suit after the Farson-Eden Pronghorns (1-4), (1-15) scored a free throw.

The Tigers kept the Pronghorns from scoring well into the first quarter and by the end of the first quarter it was a 6-point game 12-6.

The Tigers were within 1 point of giving up their lead when they took control of the court and increased their lead by 7 at halftime.

The team of Kuster and Wessel blocked several critical Pronghorn shots and ran with the lead in the third quarter.

The Tigers press caused the Pronghorns to make several traveling errors and the Tigers continued to rack up the points.

At the end of the third quarter the Tigers were leading 42-27.

In the first six minutes of the fourth quarter, the Tigers scored 13 points to the Pronghorns’ 3. With two minutes remaining in the game the junior varsity team stepped in to finish the game for a final score of 59-31.

Saturday the Tigers (5-1), (13-3) played number three ranked Cokeville (3-3), (11-6) in the southwest 1A conference.

Wessel and Kuster again dominated the court. Wessel blocked several shots denying the Panthers a chance at the board.

The Tigers outscored the Panthers 10-2 in the first quarter.

“What stood out was the defense in the frist quarter,” head coach Dan Kraft said.

The Panthers fouled Guy Erickson in his three-point attempt and Erickson scored two points from the line.

Wessel got into foul trouble deep in the second quarter, but Kuster showed he could play well with others, and he and Matt Jarrett continued the domination on the floor.

With less than three minutes in the quarter, Kuster was also in foul trouble and the team depended on the junior players to take the lead.

Erickson got a 3-pointer off with less than two minutes left in the second quarter.

The Tigers went into halftime with a 20-10 lead.

Four minutes of the third quarter went by before the Panthers scored on a free throw.

Wessel and Kuster were back in the game and held the Panthers back.

Kraft was even more impressed with his team as the they held the Panthers to 13 points up through the third quarter.

The Tigers gained 4 points to the Panthers 3 by the end of the third quarter.

By the middle of the fourth quarter, the Panthers tied the game.

The Tigers, not about to let down their fans, stepped up to the challenge and began to run up their board.

“We hit some 3s down the stretch,” Kraft said.

The fans leapt to their feet when Harold Jackson sunk a 3-pointer with a little over two minutes left in the game boosting the score 31-24.

The Panthers were back in the game and gained 5 points to the Tigers 1.

With 19 seconds left, Kraft called a timeout.

The Tigers maintained their lead, with Kuster gaining a point at the line, and the Tigers ended the game 33-29.

“I was pretty happy when they managed to regroup and get the win,” Kraft said.

Friday, the Tigers play against number one Little Snake River in Encampment at 4 p.m.

“They play pressure and trap,” Kraft said. The team will work on keeping control of the ball in preparation for the game.

“With the two conference wins, we are no less than second in conference play,” Kraft said. “If we win against Snake River, we will tie for first.”

Saturday the Tigers will play Valley rival Saratoga Panthers in Saratoga beginning at 4 p.m.

“We haven’t talked too much about the Panthers,” Kraft said.“We are concerned with Snake River.

It should be a good game for both of us, to get us ready for the tournaments.”