Rebels play spirited ball against Bridger

A week that began with losses to Greybull and Ten Sleep ended on a positive note for the Riverside Rebels.

Coach Scott Winters said his team played its best game of the season Saturday, when it lost 61-55 to Bridger, Mont.  The Rebels led by one at the half, 29-28, before being outscored in the third and fourth quarters.

“Our team goal before the game was to get back to having fun playing basketball, keep a smile on your face, not get frustrated by calls, mistakes, or missed shots,” Winters said. “I thought the boys did an excellent job of doing all of those things and it made a big difference for us. 

“We shot better, stayed positive, and executed the way we wanted to on both ends of the floor.”

The Rebels buried seven 3-pointers and shot 34% from the field, both high water marks.

Brendan Powell tallied 26 points. Kenneth McClure added 14.

Slow starts plagued the Rebels in their other two games, as they trailed Greybull 19-8 and Ten Sleep 25-5 after the first quarter.  While the Greybull game mattered for rivalry reasons, the Ten Sleep contest had conference implications.

Winters lamented his team’s poor shooting against the Buffs, saying “We weren’t ever able to get any of the guys going offensively. We’ve struggled shooting a lot this season. Most games we have one or two guys that score for us, but it seems like it’s rare to have multiple guys contribute on that end.”

The struggles continued against Ten Sleep, where the Rebels appeared “nervous” and “scared to loose” from the opening tip.

“It was a big conference game for us against a team that we were more than capable of beating, so I think the pressure of the moment got to us,” Winters said. “We played scared all game and had no confidence to start the game. We weren’t shooting with confidence and we forgot to box out on the defensive end and most of their made baskets were second shot opportunities.”

McClure was the only Rebel in double digits with 14.

Greybull 19 21 14 11 — 65

Riverside   8   8   5 12 — 33

RIVERSIDE — Brendan Powell 2 0-0 4, Kenneth McClure 2 0-1 4, Paul Stone 4 0-0 8, Jaxon Womack 1 0-0 2, Gavyn Cervantes 1 2-2 5, Xander Dannar 1 0-0 2, Eli Jensen 2 4-6 8.  Totals 13-of-47 (FGs) 6-of-12 (FTs) 33.

3-POINT GOALS — Cervantes.  REBOUNDS — Riverside 25 (Jensen 7).  STEALS — Riverside 5 (Jensen 3).  ASSISTS — Riverside 0.  TURNOVERS – Riverside 21.

Ten Sleep 25 12 13 20 — 70

Riverside   5 15 14 16 — 50

RIVERSIDE — Powell 2 1-4 6, McClure 5 1-3 12, Stone 7 0-0 14, Cervantes 3 2-2 8, Dannar 1 1-2 3, Jensen 1 2-4 5, Mason Brown 1 0-0 2.  Totals 20-71 7-15 50.

3-POINT GOALS — Powell, McClure, Jensen.  REBOUNDS — Riverside 28 (Stone 10).  STEALS — Riverside 12 (Cervantes 4).  ASSISTS — Riverside 2.  TURNOVERS — Riverside 11.

Bridger 15 13 18 15 — 61

Riverside   8 21 15 11 — 55

RIVERSIDE — Powell 9 6-7 26, McClure 5 1-3 14, Womack 0 0-2 0, Cervantes 0 2-4 2, Dannar 1 1-2 3, Jensen 3 0-0 8, Brown 1 0-1 2.  Totals 19-55 10-19 55.

3-POINT GOALS — McClure 3, Powell 2, Jensen 2.  REBOUNDS — Riverside 36 (Cervantes 7).  STEALS — Riverside 6.  ASSISTS — Riverside 3 (Brown 3).  TURNOVERS — Riverside 12.