Lady Tigers ‘have something to prove’ this season

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Tyler Johnson, [email protected]

ROCK SPRINGS, WYOMING (December 11, 2020) – The Rock Springs High School girls basketball team is going into the 2020-2021 season with a little bit of a chip on their shoulder.

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Last season, the Lady Tigers had their state tournament run cut short because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Head coach Ramiro Candelaria said the squad tries to not focus on it, but admits that it’s hard not to.

“I’d like to put that in the past and move forward, but it’s hard because we were playing so well at that time. The girls were clicking and chemistry was good. We were going into that state tournament with a lot of confidence. Every now and then, we’ll bring it up to get the girls amped up, or they’ll bring it up. The girls definitely feel like they have something to prove this year,” he said.

Since the state tournament was canceled, Candelaria said he hasn’t been able to see his team that much due to the pandemic lockdown and a lot of the squad playing fall sports. He said it feels good to get back on the court with them.

“Getting back in the gym with the squad is awesome and getting to see the girls again,” he said. “I hadn’t really seen the girls much. It’s good just to have them all back in the gym. We talk about taking it one practice at a time because you don’t know if it’s going to be your last one.”

While there are different protocols to follow this season because of the coronavirus, Candelaria said practices and preparation are pretty much the same as they have always been.

“It hasn’t changed much. We take a lot more breaks in between our drills. We have our ‘shooting pods.’ Other than that, we practice the same way. We clean and sanitize a lot more. The mask is the most difficult because they can’t hear me very well a lot of the time,” he said.

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“Other than that, it’s just business as usual.”

The Lady Tigers had key players graduated, but they are bringing back two juniors who are poised to have big years. Junior Brenli Jenkins, who was recently named by MaxPreps as the No. 1 girls basketball player in the state, and junior Kamrynn James.

“James and Brenli are showing a lot of improvement, even from last year. Brenli is just a beast. She’s so talented. It’s hard to describe how lucky we are to have her in our program. Kamrynn James is super athletic. She’s finishing everything around the rim right now. Her defense is still stellar. She’s breaking out of her shell a little bit and talking a lot more,” Candelaria said.

How far the Lady Tigers go this season is depending on the growth and development of the younger players on the roster, Candelaria said.

It’s going to depend on our upcoming players that really didn’t get much experience last year on how far we’re going to go,” he said. “We know what James and Brenli and Rikki can do. It’s going to depend on who steps up and when they step up and if they’re consistent with it.”

The Lady Tigers, along with the rest of the Class 4A West Conference, will look a little different this year, Candelaria noted. Rock Springs isn’t the only team who lost some players because of graduation. So, there’s really no telling who the team is to beat this year.

“Green River lost a lot, Evanston was young, Star Valley is going to be tough, Cody was young. It’s kind of a toss-up. The coaching staff was talking about that a couple days ago. Plus, with all this covid stuff, we’re just going to find out when we get on the court,” he said.

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2020-2021 Schedule:

  • Friday, Dec. 11, vs. Cheyenne Central – 4 p.m.
  • Saturday, Dec. 12, vs. Cheyenne East – 12 p.m.
  • Friday, Dec. 18, vs. Thunder Basin – 6 p.m.
  • Saturday, Dec. 19, vs. Campbell County – 11:20 a.m.
  • Friday, Jan. 8, @ Cheyenne South – 6 p.m.
  • Saturday, Jan. 9, @ Laramie – 1 p.m.
  • Friday, Jan. 22, @ Riverton – 6 p.m.
  • Saturday, Jan. 23, vs. Cody – 3 p.m.
  • Friday, Jan. 29, @ Natrona County – 6 p.m.
  • Saturday, Jan. 30, vs. Sheridan – 11:30 a.m.
  • Thursday, Feb. 4, @ Green River – 5:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, Feb. 6, @ Evanston – 2 p.m.
  • Friday, Feb. 12, vs. Jackson Hole – 6 p.m.
  • Saturday, Feb. 13, vs. Star Valley – 1:30 p.m.
  • Tuesday, Feb. 16, @ Green River – 7 p.m.
  • Friday, Feb. 19, vs. Riverton – 6 p.m.
  • Saturday, Feb. 20, @ Cody – 2 p.m.
  • Thursday, Feb. 25, vs. Green River – 5:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, Feb. 27, vs. Natrona County – 1:30 p.m.

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