By Brandon Walker
SHERIDAN – The Lone Peak High School varsity girls basketball team halted a four-game skid on Jan. 18 by defeating the Sheridan Panthers on the road, 24-21. Freshman Maddie Cone played a pivotal role for the Lady Big Horns, scoring 16 points and grabbing 22 rebounds in the victory.
LPHS was short-handed for almost the entirety of the game and needed every bit of Cone’s monstrous performance. Lady Big Horn starting point guard Jessie Bough only appeared briefly at the beginning of the first quarter due to a lingering injury from the previous evening when the team faced the West Yellowstone Wolverines.
Cone was a one-woman wrecking crew in the first quarter, scoring all nine of her team’s points, guiding them to a 9-3 lead at the first intermission.
“Maddie is really showing some great strides in maturity. She kept her composure. She brought the ball up quite a bit in that game and also was our leading rebounder and leading scorer,” Lone Peak head coach Loren Bough said regarding his dynamic freshman center. “She basically did it all in the Sheridan game and we were fortunate to have her.”
The Panthers were able to slow down Cone and the Lady Big Horns in the second quarter. Sheridan only gave up four points, cutting into the Lone Peak lead by two points. The teams went into halftime with LPHS ahead 13-9.
The Lady Big Horns managed to protect that four-point lead in the third, as the teams battled to an 8-8 stalemate. Sheridan was able to chip away and win the fourth quarter by one point, but LPHS did just enough to escape with the win in a closely fought contest.
“I told the girls multiple times during the game that an ugly win is still a win. It shows some mental fortitude to pull through those games,” Bough said.
Lone Peak junior Ivy Hicks scored three points and hauled in six rebounds to aid her team’s effort on the night. Fellow junior Sara Wilson made a living on the boards with 10 rebounds of her own for the Lady Big Horns.
LPHS ended a three-game losing streak away from the Bough-Dolan Athletic Center and picked up their second road victory of the season. Overall, with the win, the team improved to 5-5 for the year.
Box Score Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Total
Lone Peak 9 4 8 3 24
Sheridan 3 6 8 4 21
Lone Peak: Maddie Cone 16, Kate King 4, Ivy Hicks 3, Carly Wilson 1
Sheridan: Tia Hill 7, Faith Larsen 5, Caitlyn Galiger 4, Mackenzee Fabel 4, Madison Fabel 1
