GILLETTE – The familiar squeaking of shoes returned to basketball courts across the state this past weekend. After losing Thursday and Friday, the Rock Springs Tigers finished opening weekend with a win and experience.
The Tigers opened the season in Campbell County at the Gillette Invitational. Not only did the tournament feature a few of the top 4A teams in the state, it also gives Wyoming teams a chance to play against quality teams from other states.
While these early tournaments may show up in the overall record, they give coaches a chance to watch and learn. They can try different line-ups, see which players have good chemistry together and ultimately, get a chance to see weaknesses and close holes before all-important conference play.
The tournament would give the Tigers an early opportunity to see where they stand as they opened with one of this year’s favorites in 4A, Gillette. The Camels entered ranked second in early preseason polls. The Tigers were just outside the preseason top five.
The Tigers opened a little stiff and early turnovers led to easy Camel points. At the end of one quarter, Gillette was up 11, 19-8. The Camels maintained it in the second quarter and at the half the Tigers trailed by 10, 39-29. Rock Springs trailed by as many as 15 at points in the second half and were behind 11 heading into the fourth.
Carter Rosette and Jared Rodriguez got the Tigers offense started. Kelby Kramer and Trevor Hautala pulled Rock Springs within four with 2:10 left, 53-49. Gillette would pull ahead by three with 20 seconds left. The Tigers went to Rodriguez with time ticking down and he buried a three to even the game. The Camels quickly advanced the ball and a drive to the hoop wa initially stopped, but a follow would find the hoop and the last second win, 61-59.
Kramer had 14, Rodriguez 13 and Hautala 11 points to lead the Tigers.
Friday
On day two, the Tigers got to see their first out-of-state opponent as they faced off against Nebraska’s Scottsbluff. The Bearcats opened with an impressive 20-point win over fifth-ranked Natrona behind 52 points by Dru Kuxhausen.
Demetrius Davenport and Jordan Jenkins had the Tigers close early. At the end of one, Rock Springs trailed by two, 19-17. Scottsbluff opened the second quarter on a 10-0 run and before Tiger fans could blink they were down at half, 52-29. Scottsbluff had three players in double-digit scoring at the end of the first half.
The third quarter would not get any better for the Tigers as the Bearcats maintained their big lead. Davenport scored three times in the fourth as Rock Springs finally had a few shots drop. They were able to get the lead under 20 at one point in the final period but Scottsbluff was too much taking the 83-55 win.
Davenport, Rodriguez and Rosette finished in double figures for the Tigers. Jenkins added eight in the loss.
Saturday
Saturday would be the Tigers last chance to bring home a win as they looked to leave Gillette on a positive note. They again battled an out-of-state team as they faced South Dakota’s Rapid City Central.
Against Rapid City, the Tigers were able to find consistency on both the offensive and defensive ends. The Tigers jumped out quickly and controlled the pace for most of the contest. In the end, Rock Springs would get the first win of the season, 72-44.
Kramer, who had a big first game of the tournament, had another solid performance in the win. He scored in double digits while leading the team in rebounding. Davenport scored 14 and pull down five rebounds, Rodriguez hit for 13 while Rosette finished with nine points.
Upcoming Games
The Tigers will get their first chance to hear the noise of the home crowd as they will battle in the Flaming Gorge Classic this weekend. The Tigers will open on Dec. 17 with North Summit out of Utah. On Dec. 18, Rock Springs will battle Mountain View and will wrap up the tournament Saturday against Rawlins.
