PINEDALE – Lander and Lyman upped the ante against the Lady Wranglers as 3A teams jostled for position in the postseason run-up to the conference tournaments in March.

On Thursday, Feb. 11, Pinedale and Lyman battled it out in a tight first half that nearly ended in a draw. The Eagles pressed ahead in the third and fourth quarters for the win, 59-44.

“We played really good basketball in the first half,” said head coach Mike Davis. “In the second half, Lyman put on the pressure on and shot the ball lights out.”

The following night found Pinedale back on the court against Lander, a non-quadrant 3A rival. Despite a close first quarter, Lander chipped away at the Lady Wranglers quarter by quarter to win, 42-28.

“Against Lander, we had way too many empty possessions,” coach Davis stated. “They had 12 times the shot margin, and that doesn’t bode well. Lander made it hard getting the ball in the paint and we struggled to get into our attack zone. Overall, we played two teams that really pressured the ball well. This week, our focus will be on defending against pressure and applying more pressure on our end.”

Lyman

Both teams hit the ground running in the first half, with Lyman ahead by a single possession at halftime, 29-26. The Eagles launched a 17-point offensive in the third quarter and held the Lady Wranglers to 11 points. Lyman kept up its momentum into the final quarter, outscoring Pinedale 13-8.

Senior Grace Davis and junior Roxanne Rogers both scored 10 points during the match, consistently keeping Pinedale on the scoreboard. Emma Rogers, a senior, scored nine points against Lyman from inside the paint and at the charity stripe. Fellow senior Kia Hansen shot in eight points, including a deep shot from outside the perimeter and three of three free throws.

Senior Alaine Liserio added four points to the tally, junior Abigail Hawke two and junior Hadli Nate scored a free throw in the final quarter.

Emma Rogers and Hawke led in rebounds, catching a total of six and five, respectively. Roxanne Rogers and Davis shared the ball well with three assists each. On defense, Liserio and Hansen both forced turnover with three steals.

Lander

The first quarter ended with the Tigers ahead by a single point, 11-10. Roxanne Rogers shot in a 2-pointer and free throw. Hansen popped in a shot from outside the perimeter and Hawke and sophomore Sara Kunard both added a 2-pointer.

Lander shifted into high gear offensively in the second quarter, shooting in 14 points and holding Pinedale to six. Davis kept the Lady Wranglers on the scoreboard with a 2- and 3-pointer.

Defense on both ends of the court turned physical in the second half in the fight for possession. Roxanne Rogers popped in a pair of 2-pointers in the third quarter and Hansen made her second outside shot in the fourth.

Roxanne Rogers scored nine points against Lander, Davis seven, Hansen six, Hawke four and Kunard two.

Emma Rogers dominated in rebounds, grabbing six defensive rebounds and two offensive rebounds. Roxanne Rogers contributed to scoring with three shares.

Defensively, the Lady Wranglers outdid their opponent in steals, catching 15 while Lander managed 11. Roxanne Rogers, Emma Rogers and Hawke each snatched the ball from the Tigers three times. Liserio and Hansen both pulled out double steals during the match and Davis and Kunard each caught one.