The young but scrappy Evanston High School girls’ basketball team – well-versed in overcoming adversity this season – went 0-2 over the weekend at the 4A West Regional Tournament in Green River, though, in typical Lady Devils fashion, fought hard until the very end.
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The young but scrappy Evanston High School girls’ basketball team – well-versed in overcoming adversity this season – went 0-2 over the weekend at the 4A West Regional Tournament in Green River, though, in typical Lady Devils fashion, fought hard until the very end.
The Lady Devils (3-19) opened play Thursday against Rock Springs, losing to the Lady Tigers 38-14. In Friday’s elimination game against Riverton, Evanston played a solid first half, but fell apart in the second, losing 49-29.
“We knew going in it would be pretty tough to make State,” said EHS head coach Roy Barker. “We gave ourselves a very good chance defensively against Rock Springs, but they’re very good defensively, as well, so it was very tough to score. In the second game against Riverton, we had a good chance – we played really well in the first half. The second half, we just didn’t score. We didn’t get inside, we missed free throws – we just weren’t able to make baskets. It made it tough to win that game, and Riverton played well – I think it was probably one of their better games of the year. But I’m proud of the girls – they worked hard. We have a long way to go, so I’m ready for them to put some time in and get after it.”
The bus ride back to Evanston was subdued, though Barker said the girls were proud of themselves for the season they had.
“I think some of the younger girls were not expecting to play as much as they did, so I think they had mixed feelings – excitement for next year, but also pride for how far they came as a group,” he said. “But there was a good feeling on the bus ride home. Excited for the future.”
The Lady Devils will lose three seniors to graduation – Rhyen Debenham, Jacey Bardsley and Eden Deat.
“We’re really proud of Eden as an exchange student, for her effort, and what she was able to bring to the team,” Barker said. “She had a great personality, and was fun to be around. With Jacey and Rhyen, to have them finish the four years, with four different head coaches – they had great attitudes about the whole thing. They could have really been grumpy this year, because maybe there were times when they didn’t play as much as they thought they should, and that’s difficult. But they fought through all that, and hopefully came away with a good experience. I’m really proud of them, and their efforts, as well as their attitudes and how they treated the younger girls.”
Looking to the future, the Lady Devils appear poised to have a talented roster in the coming years, though Barker said before he’s even looking toward next season, he’s looking toward getting to work.
“The goal in the offseason for each player is to make 10,000 shots before next season,” he said. “They need to put in a lot of time, a lot of shooting, a lot of effort, or it won’t change. Everybody talks about getting better – we won’t be any better if we don’t get to work. That’s what I’m excited about – to see the progression during the open gyms, the time that’s going to be spent outside of the season in order to get better.”
Rock Springs 38,
Lady Devils 14
In Thursday’s opener against Rock Springs, the Lady Tigers went on a 16-1 run to start the game, leaving the Lady Devils to play catch up the rest of the way in a 38-14 loss.
Annalee West led the Lady Devils with five points, to go along with a team-high six rebounds. Violet Cook followed with three points, while Emma Lonsway, Jacey Bardsley and Kiernynn Simmons finished with two points apiece.
Riverton 49,
Lady Devils 29
Shaking off Thursday’s loss to Rock Springs, the Lady Devils played an inspired first half in Friday’s loser-out contest against Riverton, and trailed just 23-18 at the break.
Evanston’s offense went cold in the second half, however, scoring just 11 points as the Lady Wolverines ended the Lady Devils’ season with a 49-29 loss.
“We were right there in the game in the first half, doing the things we needed to do to compete and play well,” Barker said. “The second half, we got a little bit out of sorts – we missed some free throws, and didn’t create a lot of opportunities for us to make some shots. ”
Emme Fessler led the Lady Devils with seven points, followed by Emma Lonsway and Jacey Bardsley with six points apiece. Cassie Barker finished with five points, while Braelynn Morrison and Violet Cook chipped in two points each.
