Lady Rangers open basketball season at Bridger Valley

Theresa Davis, Gazette Editor
Posted 12/12/17

“It’s hard to take losses like that as a coach and as a team, but we have a vision of getting better each day and each week,” Fagnant said.

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Lady Rangers open basketball season at Bridger Valley

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Kemmerer’s Taylor McCloud handles the ball against Green River at the Bridger Valley Classic last weekend. The Lady Rangers are at the Manila Tournament on Dec. 15 and 16. (GAZETTE PHOTO / Theresa Davis)

Basketball season started for the Lady Rangers at the Bridger Valley Classic tournament last weekend.

On Friday, Dec. 8, the 2A Lady Rangers were pitted against the 4A Green River Lady Wolves.

The Lady Rangers were agressive against a Green River team that had a definite size and speed advantage, but Kemmerer lost 57–17.

The tournament was the first opportunity for Coach Tim Fagnant to see his team in action.

Fagnant is a veteran basketball coach who is in his first year as the head coach for the Lady Rangers.

“Going in, we knew that we were relatively unprepared defensively, because we had really spent practices working on offense and taking care of the ball,” Fagnant said.

Fagnant played around with different lineups throughout the tournament to gauge the strengths of his players.

“Our offense is such that anyone can play any position,” Fagnant said. “As we get to know what we can and can’t do, we’ll make adjustments.”

On Saturday, Dec. 9, the Lady Rangers returned to the tournament to play the Farson-Eden Pronghorns. This game was another tough one for the young Lady Ranger team, who lost 71–28. Kemmerer also played Wind River later that afternoon, and lost 70–40.

Kemmerer senior Taylor Brunski brings the ball down the court against the Green River Lady Wolves in the Lady Rangers’ first matchup of the season.  The Lady Rangers J.V. team plays  Manila on Friday, Dec. 15, and the varsity Lady Rangers play ICS later that night. (GAZETTE PHOTO / Theresa Davis)

The Lady Rangers did get two J.V. wins at the Bridger Valley tournament.

“Those J.V. wins are wonderful, and they really help the program,” Fagnant said.

The Lyman Lady Eagles were crowned tournament champions. Green River claimed second place, with Mountain View in third and the Cokeville Lady Panthers earning a fourth place finish.

“It’s hard to take losses like that as a coach and as a team, but we have a vision of getting better each day and each week,” Fagnant said.

Fagnant said his expectations as the season progresses are to overcome the team’s lack of experience and focus on more than just wins and losses.

“Our seniors have really got to carry us, and I’m counting on that senior leadership,” Fagnant said.

Lady Rangers’ coach Tim Fagnant advises his team during a timeout at the Bridger Valley Classic last weekend. (GAZETTE PHOTO / Theresa Davis)

Fagnant said the team won’t let the losses set the tone for the rest of the season.

“It’s a work in progress,” Fagnant said. “I really appreciate the efforts and attitudes of the girls. It would have been easy for them to hang their heads, but (Monday) night we had one of our best defensive practices.”

The Lady Rangers have another tournament this weekend in Manila, Utah.

On Friday, Dec. 15, The J.V. Lady Rangers will play Manila at 2:30 p.m and ICS at 7:00 p.m. The Varsity Lady Rangers will play ICS on Friday night at 8:30 p.m.

The Lady Rangers return to the Manila tournament on Saturday, Dec. 16. The Varsity team will play Roland Hall at 11:00 a.m. The J.V. Lady Rangers play ICS at 2:00 p.m., and then the Varsity team plays again Saturday afternoon against Manila at 3:30 p.m.