The Lady Cougars moved one step closer to a state tournament berth with a scrappy 31-27 win over Northwest 2-A conference rival Greybull early Friday afternoon in the elimination bracket.
Wind River led early and held a tenuous lead most of the game, but fell behind a couple of times by one point before putting on a late surge in the final minutes to win the game.
Morning elimination contests are often the most physical games of a tournament, and this one was no exception.
The teams combined for 39 free throw attempts and neither one shot the ball well from the stripe.
The difference came late in the game when 6-0 sophomore Emma Miller entered the game. Her physical presence stopped the Lady Buffs inside and she hit a short follow shot off the glass in the final minutes of play.
Her shot, along with a gutsy 3-point bomb by Amanda Jenkins, a 2-point shot off the glass by Natalie Walker, and a pair of cooly shot free throws by Jonae Spoonhunter were enough to move the Lady Cougars to an 8 am state qualifying game against either Rocky Mountain or Kemmerer.
In a testament to the low-scoring, defensive game, no player hit double-figures for either team.
Wind River had four girls in the scoring column paced by Jonae Spoonhunter with 8. Jenkins had 7 and Angela Spoonhunter and Karina Frederick had six each.
Wind River 8 10 4 9 – 31
Greybull 6 11 4 6 – 27
Wind River – Natalie Walker 2 1-3 5, Karina Frederick 1 1-6 3, Jonae Spoonhunter 2 4-6 8, Emma Miller 1 0-0 2, Angela Spoonhunter 3 0-2 6, Amanda Jenkins 1 (1) 2-4 7. Totals 10 (1) 8-21 31
Greybull – Hunt 1 1-2 3, Henderson 0-1 0, Sanford 2-2 2, Benasky 2 2-4 6, Peasley 1 1-2 3, Craft 3 3-4 9, Gomez 1 2-5 4. Totals 8 11-18 27