Lady Pioneers use defense to down Riverside 37-20

TEN SLEEP - A strong defensive effort was the key to a 37-20 victory for the Ten Sleep Lady Pioneers in their game against the Riverside Lady Rebels Thursday at Ten Sleep High School.

"Defense is what we stand on and there may be nights we don't score but we're going to make the other team work hard to get their points. That's what helps us stay in the game," said TSHS girls basketball coach Sarah Novak.

The Lady Pioneers (3-2) held the Lady Rebels (3-2) to 20 points and led wire-to-wire, thanks in part to jumping out to a 9-0 lead in the first quarter. Riverside did score the final six points in the first quarter to cut Ten Sleep's to three at 9-6.

Part of Riverside's run was due to their press that forced the Lady Pioneers to speed up their offense. The young Pioneer guards, Payton Casteel and Elizabeth Lungren, had some turnovers on their part but after the quarter break showed they are quick studies, as they were able to break the press with ease for the remainder of the game.

"In the second half, Riverside denied us the ball and a couple times we didn't make the passes we needed. I would have liked to see us backdoor them more but the kids are seeing it and they're starting to understand what they need to do," said Novak. "Overall, it was a good way to go into the break with our only two losses coming against Arvada, who is ranked third in the state. These games are all really good building blocks. Jan. 4 is when we will have to strap our laces on because of our conference schedule beings then."

In the second and third quarters, the Lady Pioneers had their best defensive stretch as they held the Lady Rebels to three points, carrying a 28-9 lead going into the fourth. Offensively, Ten Sleep had an up and down night at times they were able to get the looks they wanted but weren't able to execute.

One positive sign from the Lady Pioneers offense was their ability to get to the free-throw line. While they did shoot under 50 percent for the game, getting to the line shows that Novak's players are playing aggressive and attacking the rim. Improving on their free-throw percentage will be a big focus for Ten Sleep going forward.

"That's our nemesis right now, we're not very good free-throw shooters right now. I've done everything I could imagine, they're starting to come in the morning to get some shots up and I think that's what it's going to take. Just need to keep shooting and shooting, we'll get there," said Novak.

The Lady Pioneers head into the Christmas break at 3-2 with their only two losses coming to Arvada-Clearmont, both by four points. Novak has liked what she's seen from her team to this point, they're far from a finished product and they'll look to add a few things over the break as well as ironing out a few flaws.

"I wouldn't know what to do if everything was perfect," joked Novak. "We'll work on improving the foot speed of Heather and Kimball and they've been both getting so much better at executing on the floor for us. Free throws will be a big focus and we'll look to add some new sets. We'll also work on our dribble entry; we just started working on that this week but it's something we'll get cleaned up over the break."

The next game for the Lady Pioneers is on Jan. 4 when they open their 1A Northwest conference schedule against rival, the Dubois Lady Rams at Ten Sleep High School.