Grizzlies Fall At Home Bounce Back On The Road

The Grizzlies boys basketball team played in two hard fought games last week with one going each way for them.  They started the week early on Tuesday night by hosting the Soda Springs Cardinals.  After falling to the Cardinals on the road by just three points earlier in the season the Grizzlies hoped for a different outcome this go around but it was not to be.  The Cardinals entered the game on a hot streak having won five games in a row.  The Grizzlies on the other hand were on a two game skid.  As the game got underway the Cardinals got hot early from outside drilling four three point shots in the first quarter.  The Grizzlies did their best to keep pace but by the end of the opening quarter the Cardinals had built a six point lead.  The second quarter was nearly a mirror image of the first with the Cardinals hitting another four three point shots and the Grizzlies scrambling to keep up.  By the halftime break the Cardinals had extended the lead to eleven points.  Soda Springs seemed to be in control of the game and looked like they would run away from the Grizzlies.  However the Grizzlies were not done fighting yet.  After two hot quarters the Cardinals went cold in the third and the Grizzlies made up a bunch of ground.  As the third quarter ran out the Grizzlies had climbed back to within four of the Cardinals.  Unfortunately for the Grizzlies that would be as close as they would get.  The Cardinals heated back up in the  fourth quarter and ultimately pulled away from the Grizzlies.  Grace ended up falling by fifteen points. 

Gavin Draper gets a fast break opportunity with Jaxson Horsley in hot pursuit.

After the disappointing loss at home the Grizzlies went back to work to prepare to hit the road to take on the Cokeville Panthers.  The Grizzlies had a size advantage in this game and at first glance you would assume that they would be the heavy favorites.  However as the game got underway it was the Panthers that threw the first punch.  Cokeville jumped out to an 8-2 lead early in the game.  The Grizzlies came roaring back to take a brief lead before the game became knotted up at fifteen as the first quarter ended.  In the second quarter of play the Grizzlies struggled to pull away in large part due to some foul trouble.  Despite the foul trouble the Grizzlies did earn an advantage by the halftime break.  Going into the locker room Grace held a six point lead.  The Grizzlies began to take control of the game until the midway point of the third.  It was then that the Panthers put a press on the Grizzlies that caused Grace some trouble.  The press slowed the Grizzlies offense but Grace was still able to extend the lead by one.  In the fourth quarter the Panthers made a final run at the Grizzlies.  Grace’s Chase Smith came in clutch hitting his final four foul shots to give the Grizzlies a six point lead in the final minute of the game.  The Panthers would hit a last second three to cut the lead to just three but the Grizzlies held on for a much needed win to boost morale.

The Grizzlies have just one game on the schedule this week, a road game at Oakley.  The Grizzlies should be heavy favorites in that game.  The Grizzlies will use that game as a tune up for their season finale against their district rival Butte County the following week.

Grizzlies 14 15 13 8 50

Cardinals 20 20 6 19 65

K. Kimball 4, K. Edwards 5, G. Draper 10, C. Mecham 3, B. Smith 3, C. Smith 8, P. Yost 17

Grizzlies 15 14 12 13 54

Panthers 15 8 11 17 53

K. Kimball 5, K. Edwards 2, G. Draper 3, C. Mecham 5, B. Smith 12, C. Smith 19, P. Yost 8