EVANSTON — The opening day of the 4A West Regional basketball tournament featured strong performances from Green River High School and competitive battles for Rock Springs High School as both programs began postseason play Thursday in Evanston.
Green River advanced to the semifinal round in both the boys and girls brackets, while Rock Springs will look to stay alive in elimination games Friday.
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Green River
The top-seeded Lady Wolves opened the tournament with a dominant 56-17 win over Jackson Hole High School. Green River built control early and never let up, outscoring Jackson 25-5 in the first quarter behind a fast start from Isa Vasco, who scored 14 of her game-high 24 points in the opening period.
The Lady Wolves continued to extend the lead with an 8-2 second quarter and a 19-1 third quarter. By the end of the third, Green River held a 52-8 advantage and the running clock was in effect for the final period. Jackson went without a field goal from the final minute of the first quarter until the fourth quarter. Nicole Wilson added 10 points for the Lady Wolves, including eight in the third quarter.
Green River will face Evanston High School in the semifinal round Friday at 5 p.m.
The Wolves also advanced Thursday night with a 50-40 win over Evanston. Green River led for most of the contest and built a 26-15 halftime advantage. Dylan Archibald led the Wolves with 15 points while Dax Taylor added 14.
The Wolves were aggressive attacking the basket, earning 30 free-throw attempts and converting 18.
With the win, Green River advances to the semifinals to face Star Valley High School at 8 p.m. Friday.
Rock Springs
Rock Springs opened the girls tournament with a 47-26 loss to Star Valley. The Lady Tigers stayed within striking distance in the first half and trailed just 21-16 at the break. Star Valley pulled away after halftime, however, outscoring Rock Springs 26-10 in the second half to secure the win.
Shieley Zancanella led Rock Springs with 16 points and knocked down four three-pointers, finishing as the game’s leading scorer.
Rock Springs will face Riverton High School in an elimination game Friday at 9 a.m.
The Rock Springs boys nearly delivered the biggest upset of the opening round before falling 62-60 to Star Valley on a buzzer-beater in what was the most competitive game of day one.
The Tigers led for much of the game and were still in position to force overtime in the final seconds. After Rock Springs defended Star Valley’s initial attempt from Cooper Lancaster, Roman Erickson grabbed the offensive rebound and hit a turnaround jumper at the buzzer to lift the Braves to the win.
Boston James led Rock Springs with 21 points while Antonio Cortez added 18. Cortez was perfect at the free-throw line in the fourth quarter, going 6-for-6.
Lancaster paced Star Valley with 30 points.
Despite the loss, Rock Springs scored over 50 points for the 15th time this year and held the lead for the majority of the contest until midway through the final quarter.
The Tigers will face Evanston in a win-or-go-home game Friday at 1:30 p.m.
Friday Schedule
Friday’s boys games include Riverton vs. Jackson at noon in an elimination game and Rock Springs vs. Evanston at 1:30 p.m. Green River faces Star Valley at 8 p.m. in the semifinal round.
On the girls side, Rock Springs meets Riverton at 9 a.m. in an elimination game, while Green River takes on Evanston in the semifinals at 5 p.m.
