Fantastic Start: Girls swish three wins at Herder Classic, best season start since returning to 3A

Head coach James Sarvey said before his team hit the court for the first time that it has the potential to be the best group since the 3A days back in 2015 and earlier. The season is very young still but after just the first week of action the Glenrock High School girls basketball team  may have proved him correct after winning three of their four games at the annual Herder Classic.

“Our focus this weekend was to have tenacity and play with a lot of effort. The girls did not disappoint with their high energy and determination on the court. In the first game we forced Moorcroft into 49 turnovers, which has to be among the best ever in school history,” the coach praised. “One thing you notice right away is these girls want to compete. They played really well together and fought through a poor shooting game. Sheridan had a great game with 27 rebounds and 10 rebounds.”
It was a fantastic effort in the opening game of 24hour of hoops. Glenrock out-played, out-hustled and out-rebounded Moorcroft en route to a 60-37 victory.
The Herders waisted no time taking control by scoring eight of the first 10 points of the season against the Wolves.
Forward Sheridan Sarvey was big in both stature and performance. The 6-foot, 2-inch junior scored the first six points and pulled down the first three rebounds to give her team a lead that got away.
Glenrock applied a full court defense that suffocated Moorcroft, beginning with a steal by sophomore Bailey Cornella and a pair of forced turnovers by senior Caitilyn Williams. Cornella turned her first rebound into points and junior Taitum Helmey forced a turnover and chalked up an assist to make it 8-2.
Glenrock went cold and missed five straight three point attempts and turned the ball over eight times in just the first period. That was enough for MHS to rally but the Converse County girls clinged to a 10-9 advantage through one quarter.
After adjusting to the first quarter of the season, the Herders cleaned things up and slowly pulled away. Sheridan Sarvey again scored the first two baskets – one via an offensive rebound. However, the Wolves answered with the first three pointer of the morning to get within two at 15-13.
That’s as close as it got the remainder of the game. The defensive play of senior Emma Seestie, Helmey and Williams helped GHS finish the first half on a 13-5 run.
That crucial run was started by Sheridan Sarvey scoring four more points via her own steal and another offensive board. She was followed by junior Kylie Smith swishing Glenrock’s first trey, while Helmey, Williams and Cornella did the rest of the scoring to go up 28-18 at intermission.
The Herders held Moorcroft to just nine points in the third period to blow things wide open behind their stingy defense. Sheridan Sarvey and Cornella tallied the first four points while Smith, Seestie, Williams and Helmey continued to give Moorcroft fits in the half court sets.
Sheridan Sarvey buried her eighth bucket of the contest on a beautiful assist from Helmey, while Helmey nailed a shot of her own thanks to a steal by Smith to grow the lead to 44-27 going into the fourth quarter.
Helmey scored the first points of the final stanza to provide the final spark of the victory. Cornella and Seestie did most of the scoring in the final minutes and the depth of the team with talents such had Allison Sarvey and Kennley Blackburn helped spread the floor and run the time out which Moorcroft.
Glenrock was literally four points away from a possible undefeated opening weekend. They flirted with what would have been the biggest upset in the state but time ran out as the girls rallied late but fell short 47-43 to No. 1-ranked Wyoming Indian.
“This was a great test for us. Wyoming Indian is always a tough team that is really well coached. We played hard and had a chance in the end. One thing we learned was that we need to play more physically in games like these,” coach Sarvey said. “In the end though, our girls showed that they can compete with some of the best teams in the state, which is a positive takeaway moving forward in the season. I even saw some emotion from our girls after the game that shows their passion and how bad they want it.”
The Herders returned the next morning and returned to offensive form with 122 points in two games. They ran over Greybull, 60-44, and closed when an impressive 62-44 victory against a quality Rocky Mountain squad.
“Greybull is a good team. We knew it was going to be a battle, and we fought from the very beginning. We challenged our girls to make better passes and share the ball to get better shots. We shot the ball a lot better and were sparked by some threes from Kiley Smith who ended with eight points. Sheridan had another solid game with her 23 points, eight rebounds, and four blocked shots. Taitum Helmey and Bailey Cornella added 21 together. This is the balance we are always hoping for as a team,” coach Sarvey said. “I always worry about how we will respond in a fourth game in less than 48 hours. We play the whole court in every game we play. These girls brought it! You could see the fatigue in Rocky Mountain, and our girls just kept pushing through until the very end. Their determination and resilience were truly inspiring. The way they never gave up and continued to fight until the final whistle was a testament to their hard work. Caitilyn Williams had a great game with 15 points and eight rebounds. Emma Seestie showed how well she adds to the team. She scored 8 and played really hard defense. They showed we have the potential to be very dangerous down the road of the season.”
Now that the first test of the season was a huge success, now it’s to work on the small things. The schedule only gets tougher from here but the expectations of winning will remain.
“The best things I saw from the team that can be built upon going forward were their strong teamwork and communication on the court. They were able to anticipate each other’s moves and support one another effectively, which led to some impressive plays,” coach Sarvey said. “Their ability to stay focused and determined even when facing tough opponents showed a lot of mental strength that will be crucial in future games. We know there are going to be games we don’t shoot well, but what else can you bring that will help the team. We started to figure out what else we can do to push our team to a win.”