JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — It was just one of those games—a “stinker” they call them. You don’t go back over film, you don’t talk about what went wrong in this week’s practice. You forget this nightmare and move on.
Lady Broncs stumbled out of the gate Friday in Lander and never recovered their composure, absorbing a 63-34 drubbing at the hands of the Lady Tigers.
Whatever could go wrong did go wrong for Jackson. The girls saw a lot more defensive pressure than they have faced in a while and rattled themselves with turnovers. On top of that, star forward Rachel Noyce never had a chance to be a factor in the game as she picked up two early and questionable fouls, and sat glued to the bench for most of the first half.
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, senior point guard Jacie Chatham turned an ankle and left the game in the first quarter. That ankle has been an issue for Chatham throughout her high school career. She missed significant time last year with a similar injury.
The Lady Broncs never had a chance to set up any kind of halfcourt offense and get the ball down low where they done the majority of their damage this season. They struggled with breaking the Lander Valley press, and when they were able to get the ball upcourt the Lady Tiger defense was physical and frustrating.
Lander Valley also shot the ball well from distance. Demi Stauffenberg, Whitney Hansen, and Ryan Bell—all seniors who have been playing together on varsity since they were freshmen—took turns carrying the offense for the Lady Tigers.
Next up
The Jackson ladies come home to host Pinedale Friday (6pm) and Lander Valley Saturday (2pm).
