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THERMOPOLIS - Moving up from 2A to 3A basketball was going to bring its challenges for the Hot Spring County Lady Bobcats. Their lack of height in most 3A games would be one of the biggest challenges they would face in the season but led by their experienced senior class the Lady Bobcats never folded.

Thermopolis' record this season shows the struggles they had but it doesn't reflect the grit and pride they played with all year long. The Lady 'Cats (6-17 overall record, 1-5 record 3A East: West conference) showed that grit and pride in their final game of the season during the 3A East regional tournament in Buffalo in a 62-57 loss to Wheatland.

The Wheatland game would also be the final game for the six senior Lady 'Cats, Makayla George, Lizzy Lofink, Jules Ward, Liz Rhodes, Korey Smith and Ashlynn Weber.

Ashlynn Weber

Weber averaged 5.9 points per game and scored 135 points for the season and was one of the Lady 'Cats better perimeter shooters, shooting 23 percent from beyond the arc.

"Ashlynn played well in her final game as a Lady Bobcat. She shot well and ended up with 10 points, four rebounds two assists and two steals. Ashlynn was one of our most versatile players who ended her career being able to add to team productivity with more than just shooting. I was very happy how she stepped up her game the last few games of the season," said HSCHS girls basketball coach Cory Sova.

Lizzy Lofink

Lofink was the floor general for coach Sova and a multi-dimensional player who worked hard on both ends of the court. She led the team in 3-point percentage, 29 percent, assists with 90, and steals, 53, on the season.

"Lizzy finished her career with a solid five assists, four steals, and three rebounds (vs. Wheatland). Lizzy was a player we needed on the court as she ensured we got the ball where it needed to be and her quickness was definitely some of the best in the state. She competed hard, hated to lose and cared deeply about team success," said Sova.

Jules Ward

The heart and soul of the Lady 'Cats defense was Ward. She often guarded the opponent's best player and while being one of the smaller players on the court led the team in rebounding with 101 boards on the year.

"Jules finished her Lady Bobcat career guarding undoubtedly one of the top players in the state for any class (Wheatland's Shelby Connolly), and did a good job. Jules brought relentless defense each game and also was our most consistent rebounder. If you give Jules a task/challenge, the game is on. She had five rebounds, three steals, and two assists in her final game," said Sova.

Makayla George

As one of the taller players on the roster George was the inside presence for the Lady 'Cats on both ends of the court, leading the team in blocks with 21 on the season. George also played her best basketball in the final weeks of the season.

"Makayla continued her good play at the tournament, with seven points, four rebounds and three steals. Her basketball skills have grown a bunch throughout her high school career. Each game she really wanted to play well and was awfully tough on herself. She can look back at her final two Lady Bobcat games and be proud of her accomplishments," said Sova.

Korey Smith

Smith hit on 43 3-pointers which led the team by a wide margin, the next closest was 24. Smith was the Lady 'Cats second leading scorer in her final season, scoring 233 points on the year.

"(Vs. Wheatland) Korey took the ball to the basket well when we needed an offensive spark. Her capability to explode offensively this year was a nice weapon for us with her quick release. Her ability to shoot the ball helped lead us to a number of our victories and kept us competitive in others. Korey was also our leading defensive rebounder this year," said Sova.

Liz Rhodes

While Rhodes did not lead the team in any statistical category, she played her role and helped the team by any means possible.

"Liz knew her role was to backup Lizzy (Lofink) and Haley (McDermott) and she relished this role. She often gave us needed offensive spark, always had a super attitude and worked very hard in practice doing everything to the best of her ability. For her final game she hit a field goal, to go along with three defensive rebounds and two steals. Her plans are to serve our country and I have no doubts she will do it with pride, honor and dignity," said Sova. 

The loss of those six seniors is going to be tough on the program to replace but next season's returning squad has players who can step up to fill those voids. One of those players will be junior Haley McDermott, who scored a season-high 24 points vs. Wheatland at regionals and led the team in scoring with 252 points on the year.

"Her skills continue to grow and we are looking forward to seeing her play at an even higher level next year. Her commitment to the game is appreciated. Haley has and continues to be a super teammate to all. She simply is a quality student/athlete," said Sova.

Along with McDermott fellow junior Mary Ryan and freshmen McKenna Bomengen and Sesi Jensen will be returning for the Lady 'Cats.

"Obviously, we have some big shoes to fill as we wish our seniors well. I thought Mary, McKenna, and Sesi did some very nice things at the varsity level."

"Mary (Ryan) worked on her offensive post moves and ended up with some of the best footwork on the team. She is undersized around the rim but has learned how to compete at a high level. McKenna (Bomengen) also had a lot of pressure by playing multiple positions because of her versatility, but she handled it well. Although intimidated a bit by bigger, more experienced girls, Sesi (Jensen), has been coming into her own. She is just beginning to see how good she can be. Her first step in driving the ball to the basket from the free throw area is impressive. The coaches are very excited about her progress and her future," said Sova.

Even with the season not going according to plan Sova and his staff were proud to coach this team and appreciated the support they received all season long.

"In bringing closure to the regional tourney, the girls were once again pleased with the parent, student, and community support they received. They wanted so badly to qualify for the state tourney but they have nothing to be ashamed of. They represented HSCHS well on and off the court. This was certainly a fun group as all 21 girls were a joy to work with every day," said Sova. "The girls also appreciated all the support they received from assistant coaches (Jessica) Hostetter, (Ernie) Mecca and (Sierra) Harvey."