Taking care of business

BRYSON – Every team faces adversity in a season. It’s how you face it that can effect how you do when things get back to normal.

Cowgirl Riley Valliant missed her second straight game Friday due to health concerns. The first was a tough road loss Tuesday but in the friendly confines of Cowgirl Gym vs. Gold-Burg Friday, the squad seemed to turn things around enroute to a tougher than it looked 39-29 win over the Lady Bears.

Bryson goes to 4-3 for the campaign. Cowgirl Coach Rusty Jones said for the first time in many of his players’ high school careers, they had to be the one to take charge.

“Previously, they had someone like Brinkley (Richardson). Now they need to do it for themselves,” Jones said. “The girls played hard, that’s for sure. It’s a difficult process, when everything falls on your shoulders.”

The hostesses got out to a quick start with Tracy Hanger, Allie Orr and Victoria Goodman getting the Blue out to a 9-2 lead barely three minutes in. Windsor Godfrey also converted from beyond the arc to lead 15-4 with just more than two minutes left in the opening frame.

Bryson shot 50 percent in the opening frame and held the lady Bears to 25 percent, allowing Bryson to take a 19-7 lead after one.

It would be the middle of the fourth quarter before Bryson would score another 19 points as the squad appeared frustrated for the rest of the game. Goodman and Hauger extended the lead to 16 early in the second but the Lady Bears would close the half on a 9-4 string.

After Victoria Cervantes scored all Gold-Burg’s first quarter points, she would not have a bucket in the second half but got some help to make things interesting. Cervantes’ three-pointer to close the half cut the lead to 27-16 at the break.

Gold-Burg went ice cold shooting in the third quarter, missing 10-12 shots. Buckets by Hauger and Trinadee Imotichey put the lead back out to 16 as Gold-Burg wouldn’t score until midway through the third frame.

Despite shooting 45 percent in the third, Bryson could do little to expand the cushion, taking a 37-24 lead.

Both teams had cold streaks in the fourth but Gold-Burg made things interesting to get within nine midway through the quarter. After missing its first eight shots, Godfrey buried a three-pointer with 2:04 to go to account for the final margin.

Hauger led the victors with 14 points with Cervantes pacing Gold-Burg with a game-high 15