A Kaycee player gets sandwiched between Jared Steward, left, and Matt Jarrett as he goes for steal during Encampment's first state game against the Buckaroos. The Tigers lost 33-60, and later suffered a 43-55 loss to Upton.
Although two straight losses put them out of state placement this year, Encampment's Tigers took home a sense of pride and accomplishment from last weekend's 2014 Wyoming High School State Basketball Tournament.
Head coach Clint Bromley said simply being at the state tournament after a four-year absence was a great experience in itself.
"They got to play in the State Tournament and the Event Center, and see what it takes to get to the final game," he said. "Until you get to see and experience it for the first time it seems easy, but in reality it is the most difficult game you will play all season."
Bromley said he knew the boys were up for a tough fight against Kaycee, a team coming into the tourney ranked No. 1 in the 1A Northeast Conference. The Tigers got trampled 33-60 by the Buckaroos in their first game Thursday evening.
"This was our first game in the events center for any player versus a Kaycee team that had been there for the past 17 years," Bromley said. "It was difficult for the Encampment players to focus and get used to the gym. Even when we switched ends at that half we had difficulty finding the basket."
Bromley said the Tigers' first good quarter didn't come until the fourth, when the game was already in the hands of Kaycee.
"Our first good quarter was the fourth, and by then the game was out of reach," he said. "As a team we only shot 20 percent from the field, and it is difficult to win any game, let alone a state game, with that type of shooting. But, the experience is invaluable for next year's players."
The following 43-55 loss against Upton is what knocked the Tigers out of the competition for good. Bromley said poor shooting and several turnovers helped give the Tigers a losing hand Friday.
"We just couldn't get the ball to fall and we had a poor shooting night again, hitting just 24 percent of our shots," Bromley said. "Throughout the game we forced 22 turnovers with our press, and just couldn't capitalize on the offensive end. We shot the ball 83 times to their 47, and still couldn't find the bottom of the net enough times to get the win. This game showed us that we can go out and play in the top eight in the state, but we need to get our nerves in check and concentrate better on shots that can help you win games."
However, Bromley said he hoped the boys learned a lot from state competition to prepare for a new season this December.
"Hopefully this will give our team an edge next year," he said. "I look forward to Tiger Basketball 2014-15."
Reader Comments(0)