Lady Hornets Jr. High Basketball wins SEWAC

The Town of Pine Bluffs has another championship title to boast about. The Pine Bluffs Lady Hornets Junior High basketball team are the Southeastern Wyoming Athletic Conference (SEWAC) champions. The Tournament held on 10 December in the Pine Bluffs High School gymnasium had the top six seated teams all playing for the championship. The Lady Hornets were seated number two and drew a by in the first round. The Hornets would play the Lingle/Ft Laramie Doggers for their first game. Coach Pat Walter and Jadyn DeLaCruz had the girls primed and ready for the challenge.

Kadee Bruns #5 was able to get the first score for the Hornets with a nice lay-up. Avery Gray was able to pull down an offensive rebound with a minute left in the quarter keeping the score tied at 7. The Hornets were able to hit another two points and the Doggers found a free throw. The Hornets were able to keep the Doggers at bay with a 9-8 end of the first quarter score. The second quarter started off with Gracie Reifschneider finding the net from the right side of the court. Avery Gray took a long pass but was unable to find the net. Meadow Loyd got a pass under the net and went up for two. Keefer Fornstrom #10 dropped a three while Avery Gray was able to sneak around the defense and get a pass for another two points. Gracie Reifschneider, who is the shortest player on the A team ran around causing her opponents grief. In a short interview with Gracie she said "I have been playing basketball for a number of years and like the excitement and the game." Keefer Fornstrom drove hard for the net but was fouled. She was able to drop one of the shots. The half ended with the Hornets leading 19-14.

The third quarter saw the Lady Hornets scoring six points and holding the Doggers to only two points. Avery Gray was active at both ends of the court bringing down rebounds and drawing fouls. She was also driving to the net and getting some lay-ups to fall. Kierstyn Klinginsmith was also pulling down offensive rebounds and going right back up for points. The Hornets saw the third quarter end with a more comfortable lead of 25-16. The fourth quarter had the Lady Hornets defense working on all areas of the court. They were blocking and stealing the ball as fast as the Doggers could bring it down. Gray and Ines Lazon were especially tough. Brynlee Loyd was able to dribble around the right side for an easy lay-up. The Lady Hornets win the first game 37-25 and head to the championship game.

The championship game would pit the number one seated team the Southeast Cyclones against the number two seated Pine Bluff Hornets. The first half of the game looked like they were feeling each other out as to their weaknesses and soft spots. Avery Gray came up with a big block on the Cyclones. There were some mental errors and some passing errors. The first quarter ended with a tie score of 2-2. The second quarter was a little better with Kadee Bruns hitting a 10ft jumper. Meadow Loyd intercepted a Cyclone pass and ran it back but missed the shot. Teammate Reifschneider grabbed the rebound and put it back up for two. Lazos got fouled and shot for two. She missed the first shot but got the rebound on the second shot and put it in for two. It was still a low scoring game with the half ending 8-4.

What else would you expect from a championship game. The tight scoring and performances by both teams are top notch. The second half began with Meadow Loyd asserting her presence on defense by knocking down a Cyclone pass. Gray was stealing away the ball and keeping the Cyclones guessing. Half way through the quarter the score was still 8-4. Kadee Bruns hit a three-pointer and Gray was able to get a pass under the net and put it up for two more. With 2:01 seconds left the score was 13-4. Both teams were able to score and the third quarter ended with the Hornets leading 15-6. As the fourth quarter started both teams had their defenses on full. For the first five minutes the ball went up and down the court not hitting net at either end. Finally with three minutes left in the game Keefer Fornstrom hit a three-pointer and Gray was able to hit a jumper from the top of the key. The Cyclones were able to put a couple of shots into the bucket but it was not enough as the Hornets beat the Cyclones to win the championship 19-13. It was a great game to watch and enjoy.

After the game Coach Walter had this to say. "Our guards held the Cyclones down and afforded our post to do their work. The team did a great job holding the Cyclones to only 13 points. They are a good team and would not be the #1 if they weren't. I am very proud of our girls and the way they held in there and played."

Congratulations SEWAC Champions Pine Bluffs Junior High Lady Hornets.