Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
THERMOPOLIS - In the midst of a six-game losing streak, the Hot Springs County boys basketball team is hoping this weekend's home tournament, the Pinnacle Bank Big Horn Basin Classic, will be what gets them out of their early-season rut.
Last weekend the Bobcats were in Rawlins for the East-West Classic and got three more games under their belt. Unfortunately for them, those three games resulted in three losses that pushed their losing streak to six.
The 'Cats lost to Big Piney 48-46, Pinedale 52-45 and Lyman 43-33, and in the losses to Big Piney and Pinedale HSCHS boys basketball coach Shane Corpening saw a come theme creep up in both games.
"Pinedale and Big Piney were both similar games, we got down by double digits in the first half," said Corpening. "Against Big Piney, we were down by 13 at the half and against Pinedale we were down by at least 20. Both games we were playing good defense but kept turning the ball over and giving up offensive rebounds. We were able to put together great second halves in both games.
"We cleaned up the glass better, took care of the ball and knocked down open shots. We put ourselves in position to win in the fourth quarter, against Big Piney we were down one with a minute left. We got a good look at the basket but it didn't go in and they went on to hit their free throws. Pinedale, we cut it to three points with three minutes to go. We had back to back turnovers that really hurt us because they went on to hit their free throws. Both games, if we put together full games we probably beat both teams."
After having 20-plus turnovers against both Big Piney and Pinedale, versus Lyman the 'Cats did a better job of taking care of the basketball, committing only seven turnovers, but it was Lyman's zone defense that caused them fits on the offensive end.
"They threw a solid zone at us and we didn't handle it very well. We weren't passing the ball very well and weren't getting the ball movement we needed. We only had two days to practice before the tournament and I knew Big Piney and Lyman were going to come out in zones, so I can take that one," said Corpening.
Taking better care of the basketball, rebounding consistently and getting off to a fast start are the primary focuses for the 'Cats this week in practice. Getting a better handle on these areas will bring the 'Cats closer to putting together a consistent four quarters of basketball.
"It's encouraging that we were able to complete the comeback and compete against those teams. There was no quit in the boys but we've got to figure out a way to get a fast start and putting a whole game together will be one of the big keys moving forward," said Corpening. "We've gotten better at rebounding. We have the talent and ability to get rebounds but it's something that can still be inconsistent for us at times."
The 'Cats start the Classic with two games on Friday at Hot Springs County High School. The first game tipoffs at 1:30 p.m. against the 2A Riverside Rebels and Game 2 is against the Lovell Bulldogs at 7:30 p.m.
Playing in front of their home fans for the first time this basketball season, the expectations are that the added energy from the home crowd will help the 'Cats achieve their weekly goal of jumping out to fast starts.
"I think playing at home in front of our home crowd will help and it's something we can feed off of," said Corpening. "I want us to get a fast start in every game we play in. I want us to win the first four minutes of each game and hopefully the springs us forward to put together an entire four quarters of basketball."
