CASPER – Will anyone be able to stop the Natrona Fillies? That question will be answered at next weekend’s Girls High School Basketball State Championships.
Natrona continued to roll on Saturday as they beat the Rock Springs Lady Tigers 75-51 to take the 4A West Regional Title. Although the final score might not show it, the ladies of Rock Springs had several small victories to build on as they prepare for state.
For portions of the game, the Lady Tigers were able to control the tempo, execute on offense and score on the high-powered Fillies. One of these moments was right out of the gate.
The Lady Tigers matched the Fillies early as buckets by Makenzie Kroupa and Selena Cudney had them within one, 7-6. From there, Natrona found the range and it was off to the races. At the end of the first, the Lady Tigers trailed 23-9.
Hill scored her fourth point of the half, and Maggie Justinak hit a three that kept Rock Springs within striking distance to start the second. When playing good teams, you cannot make mistakes. The Lady Tigers found that out first hand to end the half.
With under two minutes left to play in the first half, the Lady Tigers were within 15. Several turnovers led to a Natrona run and, at the break, Rock Springs trailed 47-20.
Lesson learned as Rock Springs came out of the break executing its offense. Cudney scored four to start the third as the ladies scored the first six out of the break. Stevie Hill scored her eighth as the Lady Tigers closed the gap to 20. The teams traded buckets for the remainder of the third quarter. A late Cudney bucket had the ladies of RSHS down by 23 after three, 63-40.
Natrona opened the final quarter on a 7-2 run to end any hopes of a late comeback. The two teams went through the motions at that point. Hill added points and Justinak had a three for the Lady Tigers down the stretch in the 75-51 loss.
Hill and Justinak both finished with 14 points to lead the Rock Springs Lady Tigers. The sophomore, Selena Cudney finished with 10 points and four rebounds.
