PINEDALE – Capping off an exciting weekend in high school basketball, the Lady Wranglers scored double victories, boding well for the team as it moves into regular conference play.

Pinedale took on county rival Big Piney on Thursday, Jan. 14. Both teams pulled out all the stops and battled their way through four intense quarters. When the final buzzer sounded and the dust settled, the Lady Wranglers were ahead, 48-43.

“That was a good, hotly contested basketball game,” said head coach Mike Davis. “Big Piney shot the ball really well, and the difference came down to our rebound margin, giving us more second chances. We had a really good balance in points, with both the guards and posts scoring.

“Grace Davis and Sara Kunard hit perimeter shots early on that helped. Roxanne Rogers shot the ball really well. Emma Rogers caught seven offensive rebounds, which was phenomenal.”

Less than 24 hours later, the Lady Wranglers hit the court again to play 4A opponent Jackson. Pinedale established a significant lead right out of the gates and the Lady Broncs failed to close the gap. The final scoreboard stood at 64-48 in Pinedale’s favor.

“All three levels – freshmen, junior varsity and varsity – performed at a high level and dominated their respective games,” said Coach Davis. “(Varsity) made a really aggressive team effort to force turnover on Jackson. Again, we had a significant rebound margin. You can win a lot of basketball games that way.

“Kia Hansen shot extremely well from the perimeter in the first half. Alaine Liserio came in and played well. Abigail Hawke and Emma Rogers scored well from down low.”

Big Piney

The first two quarters set the tone for the evening and nearly ended in a draw with Pinedale ahead at halftime, 23-21.

Roxanne Rogers scored 10 points in the first half, including two 3-pointers. Davis and Hansen each added five points to the tally and Kunard tossed in a deep outside shot.

Pinedale widened the lead in a defensive, physical third quarter, outscoring Big Piney, 10-7.

The final quarter opened with the Lady Wranglers ahead, 33-28. Pinedale managed to hold onto its five-point lead through an 8-minute battle that saw both teams score 15 points.

Roxanne Rogers scored 23 points against Big Piney and proved her accuracy at the charity stripe, making eight of nine shots. Hansen added seven points to the scoreboard while Kunard contributed six – both 3-pointers.

Davis tossed in five points, Emma Rogers three and Liserio and Hawke both rounded the tally out with two.

Emma Rogers dominated on rebounds, picking up nine. Roxanne Rogers shared the ball well with four assists. In the battle to force turnover, the Lady Wranglers stepped up the aggression. Davis, Roxanne Rogers, Kunard, Hansen and Emma Rogers all pulled off two steals.

Jackson

The Lady Wranglers burst onto the court ready to fight on Friday. Pinedale outscored Jackson, 28-20, at halftime.

Rogers tallied up 13 points in the first half and Hansen tossed in three baskets from outside the perimeter.

Pinedale entered the third quarter swinging, shooting in 15 points and holding Jackson to 10. Roxanne Rogers and Hawke both scored double 2-pointers.

Jackson upped their game in a last ditch effort to close the gap during the final quarter, outscoring Pinedale 18-15. Liserio made double 2-pointers and both free throws with Hawke adding five points in the fourth quarter.

Three players finished the game in the double digits point-wise, led by Roxanne Rogers with 21, Hawke at 12 and Liserio with 10. Hansen scored nine points and Emma Rogers seven. Kunard contributed a 3-pointer and Davis shot in two points.

Hawke excelled in the rebound game, totaling 12 against Jackson. Roxanne Rogers led in assists with six and Hansen pulled off four steals.

Coach Davis said the team is looking forward to playing its first conference games against Mountain View and Lyman.

“We really need to be competitive and play well against these top teams and up our focus level,” he said.