NEWCASTLE – The Torrington High School Lady Blazers dominated the eleventh week of the regular season with Torrington defeating conference rival Wheatland, 38-32, at an away game on February 16.

The Lady Blazers left it all on the court against 3A Northwest opponent Newcastle on February 17. Following four strong, well-coordinated quarters by Torrington, the Lady Blazers overwhelmed the Lady Dogies, 62-22.

Torrington’s back-to-back victories provided positive momentum for the Lady Blazers as they prepare for home games against Glenrock and Rawlins this weekend with regionals in two weeks. Torrington currently sits in the No. 2 spot in the 3A Southeast Quadrant with a 3-2 conference record.

Wheatland

A closely-contested first quarter between Torrington and Wheatland ended with the Lady Bulldogs ahead by a single possession, 10-8.

Rallying in the second quarter, Torrington outscored Wheatland, 12-4 and the halftime scoreboard favored Torrington, 20-14. 

The Lady Blazers prevented an attempt by the Lady Bulldogs to close the gap in a neck-and-neck third quarter, with Torrington posting 12 points to 11 by Wheatland.

Wheatland topped Torrington in scoring, 7-6, in a physical fourth quarter, although the Lady Bulldogs’ effort was too little, too late, and the Lady Blazers prevailed. 

Junior Olive Osmera and sophomore Natalie Long both led the Lady Blazer offense against Wheatland with nine points apiece. Junior Teryn Stokes contributed eight points with sophomore Kennedy Reinhardt netting four.

Stokes controlled the boards, posting an exceptional 16 rebounds during the game. Reinhardt also made a strong contribution on the boards with an impressive nine rebounds.

Osmera snatched three steals and Long delivered three assists.

“I was extremely proud of our defensive effort and our unselfishness in pulling out a tough win at our rival’s gym in Wheatland,” head coach Chris Strampe said. “Defensively, we limited most of their players and made their offense run through one person. We also dominated the boards with Kennedy Reinhardt and Teryn Stokes racking up 25 rebounds between the two of them, which held Wheatland to one shot on most possessions.”

Torrington’s gritty win proved the Lady Blazers versatility.

“We have always been a team that can beat an opponent in a variety of different ways, and that was on display as we didn’t have any players in double-digit scoring for the night,” Strampe added. “We are at our best when we share the ball and the success on the court. I look forward to continuing that as we get closer to regionals.”

Newcastle

Torrington overwhelmed Newcastle in the first half, with a powerful Lady Blazer offense netting 34 points and a solid Torrington defense holding the Lady Dogies to only nine points.

Torrington refused to yield the court in the second half, outscoring Newcastle, 13-7, in the third quarter to widen the Lady Blazer’s lead to 31 points, 47-16, as the fourth quarter commenced.

Torrington’s second string entered the fray in the final quarter, with sophomore Brooklyn McCoy tossing in six points. Fellow sophomore Kieana Gunhammer scored from the charity stripe and freshman Kadence Schamel netted a close-range shot.

Schamel and junior Wittni Bugher both nabbed steals in the fourth quarter.

Osmera posted 15 points against Newcastle and picked up six steals throughout the game.

Stokes filled out the stat sheet against the Lady Dogies with 11 points, seven rebounds and five steals. Long rounded out the scrorebook with 10 points.

Junior Jaycee Hurley contributed eight points to the Lady Blazers’ final tally and posted six rebounds.

“We were able to jump on Newcastle early and keep them out of the game from the start,” coach Strampe said. “Our defensive pressure was excellent, producing 20 steals on the night. Olive Osmera was reading passes all night and ended up with six steals, translating to a game-high 15 points.”

Torrington’s “backcourt duo” – Long and Hurley – “took great care of the ball with only two total turnovers,” Strampe added.

“Getting up to 62 (points) was nice as it allowed a few more girls to get in on the scoring,” Strampe continued. “This game should give us a confidence boost and continue to set the tone for our end-of-season goals.”