Lady Rebels split regional games, head to state tournament

The Lady Rebels are headed to the state tournament after competing in the regional tournament last week. 

The Riverside girls split their games 2-2, beating Encampment (46-31) on Thursday, falling to the No. 1 team from the Southwest in Cokeville (52-37) on Friday, triumphing over Dubois (45-36), and stumbling against Little Snake River (46-36) on Saturday.

“Vinaya VanderPloeg played a couple of
amazing games on the defensive end,” said Coach Jason Mitchell. “And Varissa Olsen has continued to improve every single weekend that she steps onto the court.”

In the Saturday morning game against Dubois that punched their ticket to state, Brooklynn Paxton led the Lady Rebels in scoring with 11 points. Johnna Clifford and Kennedy Bassett followed with nine and eight points, respectively.

The Lady Rebels now turn their attention to their final challenge of the season: the state tournament in Casper, but they’re moving forward with confidence.

“We’re heading to Casper knowing that at our best, we can play anyone in the state,” said Mitchell. “We’re hoping to string together a few great quarters and see where that takes us.”

The Lady Rebels play Upton on Thursday at 10:30 a.m. at the Ford Wyoming Center (Casper Event Center).