I was very pleased with our effort staying with a skilled and deep Sidney team in their gym. The fact that we were able to have this in a one-score game in the fourth quarter tells me a lot about the Lady Blazers’ resilience and ability to push through difficult situations.”

Coach Chris Strampe

Up Next

The Lady Blazers square off against Glenrock on the road January 11 at 3:30 p.m.

TORRINGTON – The Torrington High School Lady Blazers basketball team battled Gering through four physical quarters at home on Thursday, December 19.

The Lady Blazers led by one point, 22-21, following a neck-and-neck first half. Torrington remained ahead through the first portion of the third quarter before Gering took the lead with 4:10 remaining in the third.

The lead switched hands several times before Gering pulled up by two possessions, 39-35, at the beginning of the fourth quarter.

Gering topped Torrington in scoring, 15-9, in the final eight minutes of regulation to post a 54-44 overall win.

“We stayed close for the majority of this game and kind of lost it at the end,” coach Chris Strampe said. “Gering bothered us with their height and we failed to capitalize on some opportunities to put it away when we could have. This is a game we should have won but will help us make some important adjustments going forward.”

On Friday, the Lady Blazers traveled to Sidney, Nebraska, for its third game of the week. Torrington ultimately fell following four close quarters, 49-38.

“I was very pleased with our effort staying with a skilled and deep Sidney team in their gym,” Strampe added. “After playing six games over the past nine days, our players were understandably worn out. The fact that we were able to have this in a one-score game in the fourth quarter tells me a lot about the Lady Blazers’ resilience and ability to push through difficult situations.”

Gering

The first half between the Lady Blazers and the Lady Bulldogs found Gering ahead, 14-8.

Junior Kennedy Reinhardt placed Torrington on the scoreboard with a pair of close-range shots while fellow junior Natalie Long and senior Teryn Stokes each tossed in a jumper.

Battling back in the second quarter, the Lady Blazers doubled Gering in scoring, 14-7.

Long opened scoring in the second with an inside shot. Senior Olive Osmera grabbed a steal, setting Reinhardt up to toss in a layup.

Stokes snatched a steal and defensive pressure by Osmera and Long resulted in a turnover.

Senior Madix McIntosh took possession and drained a close-range shot to tie the game, 14-14.

The Lady Blazers pulled ahead, 17-14, with an outside shot from Reinhardt.

Stokes picked up another steal, setting Long up to convert an and-1. Senior Jaycee Hurley netted a close-range shot. 

Steals by both Hurley and Stokes prevented Gering from scoring on its final possessions of the second quarter and Torrington led by one point, 22-21, at halftime.

The back-and-forth continued into the third quarter. A five-point run by the Lady Blazers, including an inside shot from Long and a trey by McIntosh widened Torrington’s lead, 27-21.

Gering responded midway into the third quarter to overtake Torrington, 30-29.

Gering remained ahead, but only by one point following a jumper by Stokes. Hurley sank a free throw and the game reached a stalemate at 32.

Gering outpaced Torrington, 15-9, in the final eight minutes of regulation. Osmera kept the Lady Blazers on the scoreboard, converting an and-1 and sinking a free throw. Hurley and McIntosh both scored from inside the perimeter while Long tallied a point from the charity stripe.

Reinhardt led Torrington in scoring against Gering with 12 points. Long netted 10 points, McIntosh nine, Hurley five with four apiece by Stokes and Osmera.

On the boards, Reinhardt pulled down seven rebounds.

Sidney stats

Against Sidney, Reinhardt also set the pace in scoring with 10 points. McIntosh and Hurley each tallied nine points with seven from Long.