PINEDALE – The February 23 conference game between the Pinedale High School Lady Wranglers and the Mountain View Lady Buffaloes came down to the wire in the fourth quarter.

Mountain View found itself ahead by several possessions, 43-37, as the final eight minutes of regulation began.

The Lady Buffaloes’ next shot bounced off the rim, the ball rebounded by junior Gabby Rogers. Taking aim, Rogers drained a deep outside shot.

The Lady Buffaloes missed both free throws on their subsequent possession, clearing the court for Rogers to net a second 3-pointer, tying the game, 43-43.

Pinedale’s defense made the next moves, with junior Mae McGuire pulling down a rebound and sophomore Erica Wilson snatching a steal.

Wilson converted an and-1 and Pinedale recaptured the lead, 46-43.

Mountain View managed to toss in a close-range shot before junior Elyn Bowers responded with an outside shot. Sophomore Alyxis White picked up a steal, setting up fellow sophomore Charlotte Hawke to net a free throw.

Bowers found herself in possession again and sank a close-range shot. Wilson snapped up a steal and Rogers and Bowers tossed in a trio of free throws as the final moments of regulation ticked down.

The final buzzer sounded with the Lady Wranglers beating Mountain View, 55-51.

The Lady Wranglers’ decisive victory cemented Pinedale’s position as the No. 1 team in the 3A Southwest Quadrant at the conclusion of an exceptional regular season that saw the Lady Wranglers post a 5-1 conference record.

Pinedale’s win on February 23 also marked the varsity squad’s 17th overall victory for the 2023-2024 regular season.

Head Coach Trent Bowers expressed pride in the Lady Wrangler’s triumph against the Lady Buffaloes before a packed house of excited fans at the Wrangler Gym.

“It was a great game and the girls played really well,” Bowers said. “Securing the first seed in a particularly tough quadrant where all four teams have achieved state titles is a big deal going into regionals. This was a goal for the team at the beginning of the season and the girls got it done. All their hard work paid off.”

The Lady Wranglers commence the postseason squaring off against the No. 4 seed from the Northwest, Worland, at the 3A West Regionals in Thermopolis on Thursday at 9 a.m.

“Worland should be an exciting game,” Bowers said. “We’re spending this week getting ready for regionals. The girls are grinding away and are ready to come in, ready to go.”

Pinedale controlled the scoreboard in the first quarter of the Mountain View game, securing an 18-11 advantage as the second quarter commenced.

Mountain View rallied in the second quarter to outscore the Lady Wranglers, 11-4, and the game reached a 22-22 stalemate at halftime.

Both teams left it on the court in a physical third quarter, with Pinedale netting 15 points to 18 by Mountain View. The Lady Wranglers’ epic final quarter not only closed the gap, but positioned Pinedale to retake the initiative and prevail over the Lady Buffaloes.

“We had a great first quarter, knocking down shots and getting stops,” coach Bowers said. “In the second quarter, everyone went cold and we had trouble scoring. At halftime, we made adjustments and the girls responded well. We had a great fourth quarter to put the game away.”

Elyn Bowers led Pinedale in scoring against Mountain View with 24 points. Rogers posted 14 points, Wilson 13, White three and Hawke one. On the boards, Bowers pulled down eight rebounds with White tallying five. Defensively, both White and Wilson rustled three steals.