Lady Devils sweep Rock Springs, Green River at home

Evanston opens 4A West Conference play 2-0; SV next

By Don Cogger, Herald Sports Editor
Posted 1/22/25

The Evanston High School girls’ basketball team played on their home court for the first time this season Thursday and Friday, and the Lady Devils made it a home stand to remember, knocking off …

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Lady Devils sweep Rock Springs, Green River at home

Evanston opens 4A West Conference play 2-0; SV next

Posted

The Evanston High School girls’ basketball team played on their home court for the first time this season Thursday and Friday, and the Lady Devils made it a home stand to remember, knocking off I-80 rivals Rock Springs and Green River to open 4A West Conference play.

Evanston got things started Thursday against the Lady Tigers, and after a close first half, blew the game open in the third quarter to roll to a 41-25 win.

The Lady Devils followed that with a back-and-forth battle against No. 5-ranked Green River Friday, finally pulling away in the fourth quarter to upset the Lady Wolves 41-37.

“Quote,” said EHS head coach Roy Barker. “Quote.”

The Lady Devils continue conference play on the road this week, with games at Star Valley Thursday and Jackson Saturday.

 

Lady Devils 41,

Rock Springs 25

Thursday was the first home game of the 2024-25 season for the Lady Devils, and with a near-capacity crowd on hand to watch head coach Roy Barker’s squad live – many for the first time this season – the atmosphere was electric.

Both teams started slow, and after a quarter of play, the Lady Devils held a slim 7-5 lead. The Lady Tigers continued to keep it close in the second, and Evanston took a 16-13 lead into the break.

The third quarter was all Lady Devils, however, as Barker’s squad came out firing, dropping 19 points on the Lady Tigers, while holding Rock Springs to just two. Evanston’s shooting cooled off in the fourth, but by then the damage was done, and the Lady Devils cruised to their first 4A West Conference win, 41-25.

The Lady Devils shot a respectable 35% from the floor, compared to 25% from their I-80 rivals. Evanston hit on 5-of-11 from behind the arc for a 45.5% clip, and sank half of their free throws on the night (4/8).

The Lady Devils easily won the battle of the boards 35-19, though with 26 turnovers, taking care of the ball continues to be a concern.

Madison Brown Paced the Lady Devils with 10 points — including three 3-pointers — followed by Cassie Barker with eight points, to go along with six rebounds and two steals. Emma Lonsway finished with seven points, Kiernynn Simmons chipped in six points and annalee West added five points. Emme Fessler and Violet Cook closed out the scoring with three points and two points, respectively; Cook dished off a team-high four assists, and led the team in steals with four.

 

Lady Devils 41,

Green River 37

The Lady Devils continued conference play Friday, welcoming in Green River, currently ranked No. 5 in 4A in the latest WyoPreps poll.

Green River may have been without Isabel Vasco’s 15.2 points per game, but the rest of the Lady Wolves have actually played a game or two here and there themselves, so the home team was in for a battle.

After the first quarter ended in an 8-8 draw, the Lady Devils created a bit of separation in the second, taking a 20-17 lead into the break. Green River grabbed the upper hand at the start of the second half, outscoring the Lady Devils 12-8 to take a 29-28 lead into the final frame.

Evanston picked up the pace over the final eight minutes, holding the Lady Wolves to eight points, while hitting a couple of big threes en route to a 13-point quarter and the upset win, 41-37.

Green River held the edge in shooting percentage, 34.3% to 26.9%, though the Lady Devils did a better job at limiting their turnovers, with just 15, compared to 27 for the Lady Wolves.

Emme Fessler led the charge with 13 points, including a pair of 3-pointers – one at the end of the game that sealed the win. Kiernynn Simmons finished with 11 points, and just missed a double-double, grabbing nine boards. Violet Cook added seven points – to go along with a team-high three assists and five steals – while Cassie Barker chipped in six points. Emma Lonsway rounded out the scoring with four points.