(Casper, WY) – The Lander Lady Tigers made it to the final stage, but Cody proved to be a step too far Saturday afternoon at the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper, claiming the state championship with a 53-37 victory.
Lander kept it close through much of the first half, hanging with the top-ranked Fillies and refusing to let the game get away from them early. Cody found another gear before the break, though, going on a run that opened up a 14-point halftime lead. The Lady Tigers responded with their best quarter of the game in the third, outscoring Cody 10-7 and trimming the deficit, but the Fillies steadied themselves late in the fourth and put it away from within a few possessions with about three minutes to go.
Remarkably, Lander actually shot the ball better than Cody on the night, shooting 38% to the Fillies’ 34%, but rebounding told the real story. Cody dominated the glass, hauling down 39 boards to Lander’s 22, and turned those second-chance opportunities into the margin of victory.
Drew Powell points for his team to cover a Cody player center court. h/t Carl Cote Breana Lincoln dribbles around the perimeter for the Lady Tigers. h/t Carl Cote The Lander girls take a moment to huddle after the final buzzer as they fall to Cody in the Championship game. h/t Carl Cote Hayden Goggles eyes down a potential pass for the Lady Tigers. h/t Carl Cote
Senior Hayden Goggles led Lander with 10 points, the only Lady Tiger to reach double figures. Juniors Paisley Hollingshead and Daisy Goklish chipped in 9 and 7, and senior Breana Lincoln contributed 6, including a pair of late three-pointers that gave the Lady Tigers a brief spark down the stretch. Goklish and Hollingshead continued to make life difficult for Cody’s offense with their pesky defense, forcing a number of turnovers, but the Fillies’ suffocating defense on the other end held Lander in check when it mattered most.
The 16-point final margin was actually one of the slimmest victories Cody had posted all season, a testament to how hard the Lady Tigers competed on the biggest stage.
Head coach Drew Powell was reflective but proud after the game.
“I’m proud of our girls,” Powell said. “We needed a few more things to have gone our way down the stretch and maybe it could have been different.”
It’s a tough way to end the year, but reaching the state championship game is no small feat, and the Lady Tigers gave Lander plenty to be excited about heading into next season.
