Lady Blazers hitting their peak

“Our girls have come a long way and are still continuing to improve and peak as we head into state. I was most pleased with the fact that each game featured a different leading scorer. That is truly testament to the way our team is built and how we pick each other up depending on what we need that game.””

Coach Chris Strampe

RAWLINS – A rollercoaster ride for the Torrington High School Lady Blazers at the 3A East Regional Tournament in Rawlins commenced with the Lady Blazers cruising past Glenrock, 45-18, in the quarterfinals on February 29.

The win propelled Torrington to the semifinals on Friday against a tough starting lineup from Buffalo. Following a deadlocked first half, the Lady Bison pulled ahead in the second half to post the win, 54-42.

The Lady Blazers hit the court on Saturday morning resolved to rebound from the Buffalo loss and routed Newcastle, 55-26, punching its ticket to the 3A State Tournament in the process.

Torrington topped off regionals with a decisive 48-41 victory against Wheatland on Saturday afternoon to secure the No. 3 seed at state. 

“It was a great weekend of basketball and we were able to lock up our first big goal in qualifying for the state tournament,” coach Chris Strampe said. “We took care of business against every team we should have in beating Glenrock, Newcastle and Wheatland. We played neck-and-neck with one of the best teams in the state in Buffalo.”

Strampe praised the Lady Blazers’ growth over the season and its team chemistry at regionals.

“Our girls have come a long way and are still continuing to improve and peak as we head into state. I was most pleased with the fact that each game featured a different leading scorer. That is truly testament to the way our team is built and how we pick each other up depending on what we need that game.”

The Lady Blazers kick off the 3A State Tournament with a 9 a.m. game against Mountain View at the Ford Wyoming Center on Thursday.

“We are coming into state as the No. 3 seed and will take on a strong Mountain View team on Thursday morning,” Strampe said. “It is a good matchup for us and I am confident we can create some advantages for our team and give ourselves a good shot to move on to the semifinals.”

Glenrock

Torrington dominated the first quarter against Glenrock, with the Lady Blazers offense netting nine points while an ironclad Torrington defense shut out the Lady Herders from scoring.

The Lady Blazers topped Glenrock in scoring, 10-3, in the second quarter and the halftime score favored Torrington by an overwhelming 19-3 margin.

An unrelenting Torrington defense held Glenrock to three points in the third quarter while a tenacious Lady Blazers offense netted 17 points. 

Torrington controlled the scoreboard, 36-6, at the end of the third quarter and the Lady Blazers’ second string finished off the job in the fourth quarter.

Eleven Lady Blazers contributed to the final points spread against Glenrock, led by junior Madix McIntosh with 12 points. Junior Teryn Stokes and sophomore Natalie Long each contributed six points.

Stokes dominated the boards, pulling down eight rebounds.

Buffalo

Torrington fought Buffalo to a 19-19 stalemate at halftime. The Lady Bison managed to top the Lady Blazers in scoring in the third quarter, 20-10.

The Lady Blazers came close to matching Buffalo in scoring during the fourth quarter as they scrapped to close the gap, with Torrington netting 13 points to 15 by the Lady Bison.

Stokes set the pace for the Lady Blazers in scoring against Buffalo with 15 points. Junior Olive Osmera netted nine points and Long six. Stokes posted eight rebounds and three steals. Long pulled down six rebounds and delivered four assists.

Newcastle

Showing no mercy in the first half, the Lady Blazers established an overwhelming 26-6 lead at halftime. 

Torrington hammered away at Newcastle in the third quarter, topping the Lady Dogies in scoring, 20-12. The Lady Blazers’ second string stepped onto the court in the fourth quarter, tossing in nine points to eight by Newcastle.

Sophomore Kennedy Reinhardt led the Lady Blazers in scoring against Newcastle with 12 points. Stokes netted nine points with junior Jaycee Hurley adding six. Stokes led in rebounds with nine.

Wheatland

Wheatland took the initiative early in the game, establishing a 12-8 lead at the end of the first quarter and pulling ahead, 15-8, as the second quarter began.

Refusing to throw in the towel, Torrington battled to close the deficit in a physical second quarter that saw both teams net 14 points and Wheatland led by only a few possessions, 26-22, at halftime.

Torrington came within one possession of overtaking Wheatland, 26-24, at the beginning of the third quarter following a close-range shot by Reinhardt.

Stokes converted an and-1, and Wheatland found itself ahead by only one point, 28-27.

Osmera grabbed a steal and Stokes went 2-for-2 at the free-throw line, tying the game at 29 points. 

Wheatland edged back up, 32-29. Long snatched a steal and McIntosh drained an outside shot to deadlock the game at 32 points.

Wheatland netted a close-range shot before McIntosh replied with a jumper to tie the game, 34-34. 

A pair of free throws by Long placed Torrington up, 36-34, at the end of the third quarter.

An eight-point run sealed the win for the Lady Blazers in the fourth quarter, consisting of points by Stokes, McIntosh and Osmera. Long capped off scoring for the Lady Blazers with two free throws.

McIntosh and Osmera both netted 13 points against Wheatland. Stokes contributed 11, Long seven and Reinhardt four. Stokes pulled down seven rebounds.