Lady Blazers best two conference opponents

Erick Starkey
Posted 2/7/18

The Torrington Lady Trailblazers picked up home wins over Worland and Thermopolis over the weekend, with both wins coming in close contests.

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Lady Blazers best two conference opponents

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TORRINGTON – The Torrington Lady Trailblazers picked up home wins over Worland and Thermopolis over the weekend, with both wins coming in close contests.

“This was a good weekend for our ladies,” coach Jeff Halley said. “We have a couple battles with teams that are desperate for wins like us. They both came in and played hard and we had to play well to beat them.”

Torrington 39, Worland 32

The Lady Blazers came out slow against Worland to open the game, falling behind 12-4 in the first quarter, but Torrington scored eight-straight to tie the game at 12. The home team put together a great second quarter to go up 26-14 at the break, in large part to their 20-2 run.

“We started pretty sluggish and let them dictate what was happening, going down 12-4, but we made a great adjustment and got things rolling to put up a 20-2 run of our own,” Halley said. “From then on, we really had the game in hand and were able to play our style.”

Torrington added another six points in the third, including a late bucket in the frame by Taylor Walsh. The Lady Warriors were held to three points in the third, sending the game to the fourth with the score resting at 32-17. In the fourth, Torrington scored seven, while Worland poured in 15, but the rally was too little too late.

“In the fourth quarter, with a decent lead, we switched up and tried to work on some things that we are struggling with and that let them cut into the lead, but it was still a good win for us,” Halley said.

Walsh was the top scorer for the Lady Blazers, notching nine points, a rebound, an assist and three steals on the night. Adia Sherbeyn was not far behind with seven points of her own, including three from behind the arc. Sherbeyn rounded out her contributions with a rebound, two assists and a steal in the win.

Chrissy Lira and Logan Murphy accounted for six points apiece. Murphy paced Torrington with 14 rebounds, including three on offense, and five steals, while adding a block to her stat line. Lira also had three of her six boards off the offensive glass and kicked in three steals.

Brooklyn Tucker, Hailey Hashman and Dani Masterson rounded out the scoring for Torrington, combining for 11 points. Tucker knocked down the team’s only other three and had two assists, three steals and a block on the night. Hashman and Masterson combined for four rebounds and three steals.

Torrington 46, Thermopolis 40

The Lady Blazers and Lady Bobcats came out and were tied at 13 after the first quarter. Thermopolis came out hot in the second quarter, taking a 24-17 lead, but Torrington came back with a run of their own to knot the game at 24 at halftime.

Torrington scored nine points in the third quarter, while limiting Thermopolis to six points to take a 33-30 lead with eight minutes left on the clock. The Lady Bobcats kept pace with the Lady Blazers in the fourth, with the score sitting at 43-40 with 54 ticks left on the clock, but Torrington closed the door in the 46-40 win.

“In the second half, we did a better job on the boards and got to the rim a little more on offense, but they wouldn’t go away,” Halley said.

“Down the stretch, I was really proud of our girls,” he added. “They played with composure, took care of the ball and made free throws to finish it out.”

Sherbeyn stepped into the leading scorer spot for Torrington with 10 points on the night, including six from behind the arc. She finished the game with a double-double, notching 10 rebounds, two assists and a steal. Murphy chipped in eight points, including a three, along with eight rebounds and a steal. Murphy and Sherbeyn combined for 13 offensive rebounds.

Four Lady Blazers scored five points each. Walsh hit a three on her way to five points, two rebounds, an assist and three steals. Tucker, Lira and Masterson all had five points in the win. The trio also combined for 11 rebounds, an assist and three steals.

Hashman and Brielle Bivens contributed four points apiece and combined for seven rebounds, a steal and a block.

Torrington was limited to 22 percent from the floor and shot 14 percent from behind the arc.

“We had a little trouble against their packed in zone,” Halley said. “We took some good outside shots, but nothing was falling – 4-of-28 from three isn’t typically our style.”

The Lady Blazers upped their record to 7-8 on the year, with a 2-1 record against quadrant opponents. Torrington returns to the road Thursday to take on undefeated Douglas at 5:30 p.m., followed by a home game Friday against Newcastle, tipping off at 5:30 p.m.