True to form, the Lady Wranglers refused to be intimidated and thwarted Mountain View’s designs to secure another win. In front of the home crowd on Saturday, Jan. 21, Pinedale coalesced as a team and focused on the task at hand to defeat Mountain View, 59-46.
This item is available in full to subscribers.
To continue reading, you will need to either log in to your subscriber account, or purchase a new subscription.
If you are a current print subscriber, you can set up a free website account and connect your subscription to it by clicking here.
If you are a digital subscriber with an active, online-only subscription then you already have an account here. Just reset your password if you've not yet logged in to your account on this new site.
Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.
Please log in to continue |
WYOMING – The Mountain View girls’ basketball team entered the first week of regular conference play boasting an undefeated, 13-0, record.
True to form, the Lady Wranglers refused to be intimidated and thwarted Mountain View’s designs to secure another win. In front of the home crowd on Saturday, Jan. 21, Pinedale coalesced as a team and focused on the task at hand to defeat Mountain View, 59-46.
The Lady Wranglers’ conference victory came on the heels of a tough loss to Lyman, 58-53, on Friday, Jan. 20. Pinedale controlled the scoreboard for most of the closely fought, physical game until the Lady Eagles pulled ahead by several possessions late in the fourth quarter.
Lyman
Lyman won the first quarter, 12-10. Senior Sara Kunard opened scoring with a layup. Sophomore Elyn Bowers netted a jumper. Kunard and senior Toree Andersen both snatched a steal.
Senior Haylen Sandner converted an and-1 and Bowers sunk an outside shot. Defensive pressure by senior Mandy Majhanovich resulted in a turnover.
Pinedale turned the tables in a strong second quarter and established a 29-26 lead at halftime. A close-range shot and a 3-pointer by Bowers placed Pinedale ahead, 18-15. Kunard widened the gap with a pair of free throws, an outside shot and a layup.
Lyman and Pinedale fought through a neck-and-neck fourth quarter. An inside shot by Sandner returned the initiative to Pinedale, 31-28. Bowers scored a jumper and sophomore Gabby Rogers netted a 3-pointer to keep the Lady Wranglers ahead.
The Lady Eagles closed the gap and pulled ahead in the last 3 minutes of regulation.
Bowers led scoring against Lyman with 20 points. Kunard tossed in 14 points, Sandner 8, freshman Alyxis White 6, Rogers 3 and Majhanovich 2.
“This was a tough game against a tough team and it could have gone either way,” said Coach Bowers. “It was a blessing to have a close game at this point in the season and it was a great learning experience. I’m happy with the way the girls played and they shot the ball well. From the beginning, Elyn did a good job of not allowing Lyman’s face guard to get to her. Sara stepped up and knocked down shots. Haylen did her thing getting looks and shots. Alyxis came in and scored 6 points and made four rebounds.”
Mountain View
The first quarter ended with Mountain View ahead, 12-11. Andersen scored an outside shot early in the quarter. Kunard tossed in a pair of 3-pointers.
Pinedale netted 13 points in the second quarter to 8 from Mountain View. Kunard dominated offensively with 11 points.
The halftime scoreboard favored the Lady Wranglers, 24-20.
Mountain View tied the game twice in the third quarter. Kunard scored a jumper to break the stalemate at 24 points. An outside shot by Bowers pulled Pinedale ahead after Mountain View matched the Lady Wranglers at 26 points.
Pinedale overwhelmed Mountain View, 20-13, in the fourth quarter. Bowers turned up the heat offensively and scored 16 points.
Bowers led in scoring against Mountain View with 29 points. Kunard posted her best performance of the season with 25 points, shooting at 73 percent. Anderson netted 3 points and Sandner 2.
“This was a great game and the team’s confidence really improved,” said Coach Bowers. “We had quick turnaround from the Lyman game, but the girls were ready to go and up to the task. They battled through a physical first half. Sara was able to step up and carry scoring while Mountain View’s defense focused on one player. That is reflective of the team we have.
“In the second half, we made adjustments offensively and defensively and the girls came out and executed well. They did a great job communicating and the team chemistry in the second half was what we were looking for. Elyn ended up with 25 points in the second half and Sara kept rolling. Trista (Covill) and Haylen played a physical defense. Toree, Gabby and Alyxis played really good defense.”
The Wranglers traveled to play non-conference opponent Jackson on Thursday, Jan. 26. Results were not available at press time.
Pinedale returns to conference play on Friday with a home game against Lander. Freshmen play at 2:30 p.m., junior varsity at 4 p.m., girls’ varsity at 5:30 p.m. and boys’ varsity at 7 p.m.
