Cody Basketball Teams Looking to Make a Statement in Final Month of Regular Season

AFTER DEFEATING CLASS 3A FOE BUFFALO BOTH THE CODY BRONC AND FILLY BASKETBALL TEAMS NOW GET SET TO TAKE ON THE 4A SOUTHWEST QUADRANT.

THE BRONCS SIT AT 5-7 ON THE SEASON AND ARE TIED FOR FIRST IN HE NORTHWEST 4A WITH A 2-1 QUADRANT RECORD. WITH TWO OPPONENTS ON THE SCHEDULE THE BRONCS HAVE A CHANCE TO GET BACK TO AN EVEN .500 RECORD FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS SEASON. HEAD COACH JAKE KRAFT ON THAT POSSIBILITY.

“SPEAKS TO THE WORK THAT WE’VE PUT IN. I THINK IF WE COULD GET TO THAT, EVEN GETTING TO THE POINT THAT WE’VE GOT TO, I GUESS AT 5-7 AFTER STARTING 0-5 TO START THE YEAR, WE KNEW GOING INTO THIS SEASON THAT WE WERE GOING TO BE FACED WITH SOME CHALLENGES BEFORE CHRISTMAS. THE KIDS HAVE PUT A LOT OF WORK INTO IT AND I THINK IT’S SHOWING ON THE COURT.”

UP NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE FOR THE BRONCS IS TWO HOME CONTESTS VS. STAR VALLEY AND JACKSON. WITH A CHANCE TO MAKE A STATEMENT AT HOME COACH KRAFT TOUCHES ON WHAT THOSE TWO TEAMS BRING TO THE HARDWOOD, STARTING WITH STAR VALLEY.

“PHYSICALITY, ATHLETICISM, A REALLY GOOD POINT GUARD WHO DOES A REALLY GOOD JOB OF GETTING GUYS HIP LEVEL HIGH, MAKES GOOD DECISIONS WITH THE BASKETBALL. DEFENSIVELY, THEY’RE A COHESIVE UNIT. A LOT OF THEM COME FROM THE FOOTBALL PROGRAM SO THEY’VE HAD SUCCESS THERE COLLECTIVELY AND THEN THEY TRY TO SNOWBALL THAT INTO THE BASKETBALL SEASON.”

COACH KRAFT GOES ON TO TALK ABOUT WHAT HE’S SEEN ON TAPE FROM JACKSON AND TALKS ABOUT WHAT THEY DO WELL AND WHAT CHALLENGES THEY PRESENT.

“A MAJORITY OF THEIR OFFENSE COMES FROM THE PERIMETER. SO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE GUYS CLOSED OUT, NOT GIVE OPEN SHOTS, NOT LET A TEAM LIKE THAT KIND OF GET OUT INTO THE OPEN ON THE FLOOR AND TRANSITION. THEY ARE HAVING THEIR STRUGGLES THIS YEAR, I GUESS. LIKE YOU SAID WE DON’T TAKE ANYBODY LIGHTLY AND YOU KNOW THEY MIGHT NOT HAVE A WIN THIS YEAR BUT WE CERTAINLY DON’T WANT TO BE THE FIRST.”

WITH THE LATEST WYOPREPS.COM COACHES AND MEDIA POLL BEING RELEASED THE BRONCS WERE SNUBBED AS BOTH ROCK SPRINGS AND EVANSTON WERE PICKED AHEAD OF THEM. HOWEVER, COACH KRAFT AND THE BRONCS KNOW THEY ARE A TEAM TO BE RECKONED WITH.

“YEAH I DON’T THINK IT’S A SECRET THAT OUR KIDS ARE PLAYING WELL. I MEAN IF YOU LOOK AT THE SCORES ANYBODY WHO’S OUTSIDE OF CODY THAT SEES OUR SCORES, SEES THAT WE’RE WINNING MORE THAN WE’RE LOSING AND WE’RE DEFENDING BETTER THAN WE DID AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR. WE WOULD JUST LIKE PEOPLE TO SEE THAT FIRST HAND, THE TEAMS THAT WE’RE PLAYING, RATHER THAN JUST SEE THE SCORE ON WYOPREPS.”

AS FOR THE CODY FILLIES THEY BROKE A 4-GAME LOSING STREAK WITH A COME FROM BEHIND VICTORY VS. BUFFALO LAST WEEK. WITH THE WIN THE FILLIES IMPROVED TO 6-6 ON THE SEASON AND LIKE THE BRONCS NOW GET SET FOR TWO HOME MATCH-UPS VS. STAR VALLEY AND JACKSON. HEAD COACH CHRIS WAGNER TOUCHES ON THE UPCOMING OPPONENTS.

“STAR VALLEY ESPECIALLY, PRETTY WELL BALANCED TEAM. THEY’RE REALLY EFFICIENT BUT YOU KNOW THEY’RE VERY PATIENT WITH THEIR OFFENSE SO WE’VE BEEN WORKING A LOT ON JUST TRYING TO GET GOOD PRESSURE ON THEIR GUARDS, GET HIP PRESSURE AS SOON AS WE CAN TO TRY AND THROW THEM OUT OF THEIR OFFENSE. GET THEM TO PLAY A LITTLE BIT MORE UP-TEMPO WHICH IT DOESN’T LOOK LIKE THEY LIKE TO DO AS MUCH. JACKSON, KIND OF THE SAME THING, PRETTY WELL BALANCED. THEIR’S NOT ONE PLAYER ON EACH TEAM THAT REALLY STANDS OUT ABOVE THE OTHERS. SO KIND OF GOING BACK TO JUST GOOD SOLID TEAM DEFENSE, DON’T REALLY HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT KEYING IN ON A PARTICULAR PLAYER. JUST MORE LEARNING TO GET USED TO THEIR OFFENSIVE SYSTEMS AND MAKE SOME GOOD PLAYS ON THEM.”

COACH WAGNER GOES ON TO TALK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF NOT ONLY THESE NEXT TWO CONTESTS, BUT HOW CRUCIAL THE NEXT FOUR GAMES ARE AGAINST THE SOUTHWEST 4A.

“I THINK JUST KNOWING THAT THOSE ARE POSSIBLE OPPONENTS IN THE REGIONAL TOURNAMENT. I MEAN YOU WANT TO COME OUT AND HAVE A GOOD PERFORMANCE AGAINST THEM. JUST SO THAT WE HAVE THAT CONFIDENCE, SHOULD WE FACE THEM IN THE REGIONAL TOURNAMENT.”

AND A BIG REASON FOR THE FILLIES SUCCESS THIS YEAR, THE EMERGENCE OF KENNEDI NIEMANN WHO HAS BEEN STARTING ALL YEAR AS A FRESHMAN. DAY IN AND DAY OUT SHE HAS CONTINUED TO EXPAND HER ROLE, TAKING ON THE CHALLENGE OF GUARDING THE OPPOSING TEAMS BEST PLAYER ON A WEEKLY BASIS. COACH WAGNER ON NIEMANN’S DEFENSE AND HOW SHE’S STEPPED UP.

“STARTED WITH THE JENKINS GIRL IN ROCK SPRINGS AND DID A GREAT JOB ON HER. YOU KNOW A COUPLE OF THE DRILLS THAT WE DO IN PRACTICE, SHE WENT OUT AND EXECUTED PERFECTLY IN THE GAME AND SHE GOES OUT THERE WITH THE MINDSET OF DEFENSE. WE NEED THAT. ESPECIALLY WHEN THE OFFENSE IS KIND OF STRUGGLING AND SHE’S STILL WILLING TO STEP UP AND BRING A LOT OF INTENSITY. SHE CAUSES A LOT OF PROBLEMS FOR THOSE BALL HANDLERS.”

BOTH CODY BASKETBALL TEAMS ARE BACK ON THE HARDWOOD THIS WEEKEND AS THEY WELCOME STAR VALLEY AND JACKSON TO THE SWEITZER GYMNASIUM. THE GIRLS GET ALL THE ACTION UNDERWAY FIRST ON FRIDAY, TIP-OFF AT 6PM WITH THE BOYS TO FOLLOW. YOU CAN LISTEN TO ALL THE GAMES ON KODI.