Lady Miners undermined on the road

HEM girls go 1-2 against tough teams

The previously undefeated Hanna, Elk Mountain, Medicine Bow (HEM) Lady Miners got a taste of losing this week as they faced the Farson-Eden Lady Pronghorns, Wind River Lady Cougars and the Kaycee Lady Bucs.

Lady Miner vs.

Lady Pronghorns

The first team the Lady Miners faced was Farson-Eden, an opponent they met earlier this year and had beat.

It was not to be a repeat performance. The Lady Miners lost by 5 points, 28-33, on Thursday.

"To be quite honest, we didn't play our best," HEM Head Coach Jackie Jones said. "We had a hard time getting it going and we had to play catch up. Once we caught up, the vibe was not there, the flow wasn't there and we can't put our finger on it."

Jones said she doesn't want to make excuses for the loss.

"Farson found a way to beat us," Jones said. "They played much better in your face defense than the last time we met and I think that made a huge defense in our game plan."

She said the team had trouble getting into their offense which was unusual for her starters.

"The cards didn't fall for us and Farson came at us," Jones said. "We lost Hannah Christie to an ankle sprain and then Amy Campbell had a bad sprain."

Although injured, Amy ended up being the leading scorer with 17 points.

Jones said Avery Scott did a great job defensively in the game and Madison Campbell had a good rebounding game.

Jones told the girls losing a game is something to learn from as they approach the next game.

Lady Miners vs.

Lady Cougars

Her words must have had an effect as HEM faced 2A Wind River on Friday.

It was a tight game in the 1st quarter for the Lady Miners. Going into the 2nd quarter the Miners were ahead only 10-6.

Jones told the team, going into the 2nd quarter, it was time to start playing the way they knew how.

They outscored Wind River 14-2 that quarter.

During the game, Wind River's head coach got two technical fouls. Principal Steve Priest additionally went to sit in the stands where Wind River fans were as they had been thumping their feet and hands when HEM shot free throws. His presence stopped the noise.

The rowdiness seemed to make the Lady Miners that much more determined to win and it showed not only in the 2nd quarter, but in the next half.

"We converted our shots and earned our way to the free throw line," Jones said. "It was a day of getting out on the court and taking care of business. I told the girls that, when you play hard on defense, it just instinctively makes you play harder on offense."

Jones was pleasantly surprised by her younger players.

"I thought, especially defensively, T'ylsa Solaas was just a go-getter," Jones said. "With Taylar (Scott) and T'ylsa up like that, the team didn't know how to adjust. Then there was Avery reading their defense and the hustle she puts out. She just understands basketball. There are things she does that are, quite frankly, textbook moves."

Solaas had 5 steals and 4 rebounds.

Freshman MacKenzie Priest had a good day, hitting some difficult baskets and playing post.

"She takes in all my coaching words and there is a real willingness to learn, which makes me think she has quite the road ahead of her in basketball," Jones said. "She is a smart girl and she realizes that if she doesn't work hard to improve, she might not get the playing time she desires to have."

Priest scored 5 points and had 5 rebounds.

Avery was the leading scorer with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 5 steals. Madison scored 10 points and had 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 blocked shots. Taylar scored 8 points and had 4 steals.

"Rainey Wilson had one of the best basketball games," Jones said. "She actually played in a new position and I think she did a great job."

The Lady Miners won 53-26.

Lady Miners vs. Lady Bucs

Facing Kaycee the next day was a test.

"Three games in three days against a very good Kaycee took its toll," Jones said. "They executed their offense well, and we truly struggled at times to make things happen."

The 1st quarter the Lady Miner's were outscored 3-11. The 2nd quarter was better, but not good enough to catch up. The Lady Miners went in the half being down 8-20. The 3rd quarter when, HEM usually starts to take off, the Lady Miners could only muster 8 points to the Lady Buckaroos 18 points. The 4th quarter saw the Lady Miners score 9 points to Kaycee's 6 points. The Lady Miners had been dug into a hole early they never got out of.

Jones did have a reason to be happy, though.

"Taylar was a true team leader and worked her tail off the entire game," Jones said.

"We are looking to re-gather and spend some time in practice adjusting and getting back on track," Jones concluded.

The Lady Miners are 10-2 overall in the season and 2-0 in the Southeast Conference.

 

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