ROCK SPRINGS, WYOMING (Dec. 21, 2019) — The Lady Tigers defeated the Pinedale Wranglers in a scrappy 56-44 bout tonight to close out the Flaming Gorge Classic basketball tournament.
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The lady Tigers jumped out to an early 4-0 lead off the back of a pair of layups by sophomore Brenli Jenkins, only to be answered by the Wranglers on their next two possessions, both scores coming from sophomore Roxanne Rogers. The two teams then traded two-point makes on their respective possessions before Pinedale called a timeout with 2:52 left in the first quarter.
Wrangler senior Nora Legerski would find a quick layup out of the timeout, which was answered by Jenkins on the ensuing Tiger possession. After a single Pinedale free-throw make, the Tigers found a 5-0 run to close out the first quarter with a 13-9 lead over the Wranglers.
Pinedale would find the scoreboard first to open the second half, draining a two-point shot from the key. This score was answered by senior Makalie Mignerey, who drove the lane for a layup. After a Wrangler two-point make, the Tigers would go on a 12-1 run to bring the score to 27-14 with 3:56 left in the second quarter.
The Wranglers answered back with an 8-0 run of their own, bringing the score to 27-22. The run was broken after a pair of free-throws made by Brenli Jenkins. Pinedale would find another layup from Nora Legerski, only to be answered by a pair of two-point possessions from the lady Tigers to close out the half 34-24.
The Wranglers opened up the second half by finding the scoreboard first with a two-point make from Legerski. The lady Tigers would answer back with a deep three-pointer made by Aislyn Pecolar. The Tigers then orchestrated a 5-2 run to bring the score to 42-28 before a Pinedale timeout with 2:40 left in the third quarter.
Out of the timeout, the two teams traded successful free-throws to bring the score to 44-30. A Wrangler three-point make from Roxanne Rogers would bring the Tiger lead to 11 points at the end of the third quarter.
The scoring began to settle down in the fourth quarter until a Wrangler three-point made by Rogers would cut the lead to eight with 6:00 left in the game. This led to a 7-0 run for the Wranglers to bring the score to 44-40 with 3:30 left in regulation. The Tigers would get back on track with a pair of free-throw makes from both Aislyn Pecolar and Brenli Jenkins, as well as a quick layup to bring the score to 50-40 before Pinedale used a timeout with 2:30 left in the game.
Out of the timeout, sophomore Aspen Lucero drained a deep three-point shot to increase the Tiger lead to 13 points. Pinedale would find a two-point shot from the key, only to be answered by a pair of Tiger free-throws to bring the score to 55-42 with 1:00 left in the game. The Wranglers found one more two-point possession before a single free-throw make from Brenli Jenkins allowed the Tigers to dribble out the clock and take the victory 56-44.
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The win ends the Flaming Gorge Classic tournament on a high note for the lady Tigers who look to carry this momentum into regular-season action.
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