Shoshoni head coach Max Mills will probably be sending Wyoming Indian a thank you text sometime later this week. The Shoshoni Lady Blue powered through a fast, tenacious Big Piney team to advance to the state tournament next Thursday.
The Lady Punchers were on the losing end of a class double-overtime battle with Wyoming Indian Friday night and Shoshoni was waiting at 8 am in the Riverton Middle School gym to get their ticket punched to the big dance.
Shoshoni dropped their opening game to Kemmerer 37-26 then handled St. Stephen’s in a Friday elimination game 64-33 before the early Saturday tilt with Big Piney.’
Shoshoni led early, but Big Piney is quick and jumped the Wrangler offense, forcing turnovers on passes across the front of the Lady Puncher zone.
Shoshoni trail 28-25 at the half, with leading scorer Hailey Donelson hampered by a bad ankle sprain.
In the opening moments, Donelson and guards Sonja Post, Abigail Jennings, and Morgan Donelson were able to get the ball to the low block for junior Tania St. Clair who went to work at close range. St. Clair finished the game with 14 points, trailing just Hailey Donelson with 21.
The effects of the extended game the night before began to show on Big Piney in the final period and Shoshoni overcame a 35-32 deficit to pull away behind a 17-point final period for the win.
In the third/fourth place game, the Lady Blue faced the same Kemmerer Lady Ranger squad again and the score was similar with Kemmerer winning 40-32.
Donelson tallied a dozen but fouled out in the game.
Shoshoni faces East 2-A Regional Champion Lingle-Ft. Laramie at 6 pm on Thursday at Swede Erickson Gym on the Casper College campus.
Shoshoni 15 10 7 17 – 49
Big Piney 12 16 8 6 – 42
Shoshoni – Sonja Post 2 0-4 4, Morgan Donelson 1 0-0 2, Abigail Jennings 2 (1) 1-1 8, Hailey Donelson 6 (1) 6-10 21, Tania St. Clair 5 4-5 14. Totals 16 (2) 11-20 49
Big Piney – Greene 1 (1) 1-2 6, Whiterock 1 0-0 2, Guest 1 0-0 2, Strong 3 0-0 6, Brower 4 2-2 10, Sorenson 4 0-0 8, Brandt 1 1-2 3, Runyan 2 1-2 5. Totals 17 (1) 5-8 42