When it came time for the Lady Red Devils to get back to business again in preparation for the Cheyenne Invitational, Evanston was ready showcase its stuff.
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CHEYENNE – High School basketball coaches across American and, perhaps in other countries, can’t help but wonder if their team will show back in the same, peak condition following a holiday break.
“That’s always in the back of your head, and we didn’t practice very well this week,” Evanston High School girls’ basketball coach Jeremy Fessler said. “I was definitely worried.”
But when it came time for the Lady Red Devils to get back to business again in preparation for the Cheyenne Invitational, Evanston was ready showcase its stuff.
The Lady Red Devils cruised to a 69-38 win against Cheyenne South on Thursday in the First round of the Cheyenne Tournament.
The Lady Red Devils had already compiled a 6-1 record and were ranked fifth in the most recent Class 4A state poll.
Fessler didn’t want to see his team take a step back after winning six of its last seven game. Fessler, who coaches a senior-laden group, soon found out his team was anxious to get back to business. There was no worry of a holiday hangover.
Evanston jumped out to a 20-3 lead after the first quarter. Wagastaff, a two-time all All-State player committed to Utah State University Eastern scored her 15th point on a 3-pointer to give Evanston a 29-5 lead with 6:25 left in the second quarter.
From that point on, Evanston could not be stopped by an opponent that played four gams since the Lady Red Devils took the floor in a competitive setting since Dec. 16.
“We really played together this game,” Wagstaff said. “It was one of our best games, for sure. We knew if we played the game the right way, we would win. I don’t think we knew we would win by that much. It showed us how good we really can be. It boosted our confidence.”
“We all came together as a team,” Hailey Barker said. “We worked hard as a team. We really clicked. We were ready to get down to business. We hadn’t played a game in a while. We wanted to get out there and show everyone what we could do. Over Christmas break, we ran a lot. Most of us would go to the gym over break. Once practice started back up, we ran as a team. We’re just going to go out and fight the way we know we can. And then we’ll see what happens.”
Wagstaff led Evanston with 24 points, five rebounds five assists and four steals. Barker tallied 18 points while AJ Archuletta chipped in with 10 points.
“We had other girls scoring, “Wagstaff said. “We connected really well.”
It might come as a surprise now, but the Lady Red Devils struggled at this tournament last year. Evanston doesn’t plan on letting that happen again.
The Lady Red Devils will take on Laramie tomorrow, a team Evanston held off for a 62-58 win in the season opener Dec. 7.
“I think what impressed me the most was how we came out early and played hard,” Groll said. “I know before the game, we were a little nervous. We came out hard and played well together. Instead of giving in towards the end, and letting them come back a little bit, we pushed through, stuck with it, and I thought that was a big accomplishment.”
