The Lingle-Fort Laramie Doggers came tearing into Tuesday's contest with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 26.7 points) and they left with even more momentum. They came out on top against Morrill by a score of 55-42. Given Lingle-Fort Laramie's advantage in MaxPreps's basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 20th in Wyoming, while Morrill is ranked 130th in Nebraska), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Lingle-Fort Laramie's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Natalie Speckner led the charge by scoring 15 points along with seven rebounds and five steals. Speckner has been hot recently, having posted 15 or more points the last three times she's played. Brenly Shipp was another key contributor, scoring 14 points along with six rebounds.
Several Lions players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Brooklin Hess, who scored 13 points along with six rebounds and two steals. Another player making a difference was Katelyn Walker, who scored ten points along with six rebounds and three steals.
Lingle-Fort Laramie has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matches, which provided a nice bump to their 10-4 record this season. As for Morrill, their defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 12-5.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Lingle-Fort Laramie will take on Burns at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Burns has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games. As for Morrill, they will look to defend their home court on Thursday against Mitchell at 5:30 p.m.
