First home game of the season for Broncs basketball

JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — As the Jackson basketball teams prepare for a home contest against over-the-hill rivals Teton, preparation for the home coaches couldn’t be more different.

Girls want to slow the pace

Coach Andrea Joyce and the girls are relieved to see a team that likely will not press them all game long. After beginning the season against Cheyenne East and Central—two teams that subscribe to the popular fullcourt press as a general rule—the Lady Timberwolves (7-2) like to rush back on defense and get into their man-to-man halfcourt coverage.

Teton’s defensive style should allow the Jackson girls to better work out their new halfcourt offense and a more patient brand of ball-possession basketball. A lack of a perimeter shooting roster, and the wealth of talent down low, practically begs a more methodical offense rather than a run-and-gun style.

“I hope it’s not a rat race,” Joyce said, referring to her game plan to slow the tempo and take quality shots. “I hate when the game devolves into so many turnovers, so many jump balls. I want people who watch us to know we have a plan, and we are executing that plan; we are not just going out there and playing street ball.”

Expect the Lady Broncs look for opportunities to feed the ball down low to their bigs—Rachel Noyce, Karsen Breeding, and Gracie Hardeman.

Defensively, Jackson will have to contend with a Lady Wolves team that can flat out shoot. Teton spreads the scoring around—from senior studs Kinley Brown and Tatum Streit, to sophomore standouts Morgan Johnson and Grace Hogan—these girls can knock it down.

The Lady Broncs will have to make every trip down the court be a productive one, and avoid getting into a shootout with the Lady Timberwolves.

Boys have a need for speed

The boys, on the other hand, are perfectly comfortable playing a fast game with Teton (3-2). Coach Hayden Hatfield preaches the uptempo game to his kids, and the Timberwolves, too, like to play at lightning speed.

“It’s going to be a track meet. They throw the ball ahead—sometimes baseball passes—to get it to the rim. They get the ball up court quick,” Hatfield said. “I expect a very high-scoring game. I told our kids the goal is to hit 70 points and if we do that we should win. But it will be on our defense to slow these guys down a little in transition.”

Point guard Jerom Heuseveldt likes to push the ball. His brother, Thomas, is a 3-ball specialist as is senior Braxton Hess. The Timberwolves have some size as well. Sophomore Ty Brown (6’4”) and junior Davis Wood (6’8”) will be called upon to neutralize Jackson’s inside game which has been all about Andrew Hanna in the early going.

Hanna, the 6’8” Jackson sophomore, leads the Broncs in scoring and rebounding so far this season. And if the power forward doesn’t get his points, distance shooter Seb Brunner can carry a team when he’s feeling it from beyond the arc.

Teton Timberwolves vs. Jackson Broncs. Jackson Hole High School. Girls tap at 2pm, boys immediately follow at 3:30pm. Live play-by-play coverage on videostream at Jackson Hole Radio’s YouTube channel and audio only on KZ95.live.