The final weekend of non-conference play has both Laramie High School basketball teams on the road in Sweetwater County for two games today and tomorrow.

Laramie plays at Rock Springs tonight. The girls’ varsity game is at 6 p.m. followed by the boys’ 7:30 p.m. Tomorrow both LHS teams are at Green River. Those games are a 1 p.m. for the ladies and 2:30 p.m. for the gentlemen.

The Laramie Lady Plainsmen (4-6) won two of three games last weekend and are looking to build on that.

Head coach Laura Pollard said we know we still have work to do, so in practice this week, we looked at areas of the game that have had a major impact on us.

“Still beating the press, so the press-breaker, and then we put in a new press ourselves. We’re focusing on a half-court zone.”

Laramie faces Rock Springs (5-4) tonight. The Tigers beat the Lady Plainsmen 54-33 last month in Casper. In that game, junior Jennifer Aadland left early in the second quarter with an injury. That did impact the game.

Coach Pollard says of the rematch, “Now we’re at full strength. We’ve got everybody going. They pressed us real well, even though we threw the ball away a lot, so we concentrated on our press breaker and our turnovers.”

On Saturday, it’s another rematch against a Green River (5-5) team that Laramie beat 52-45 last Thursday at home.

Pollard admitted, “I think that’ll be too close for comfort, again, but at least its two good games before the conference starts.”

The Laramie Plainsmen (6-4) dropped out of the top five in the latest Wyopreps.com Coaches and Media Poll earlier this week. After going 1-2 last weekend and losing to both opponents in their first meeting earlier this year, Laramie seeks a little redemption.

Plainsmen head coach Travis Brown said there’s been certain areas of focus in practice this week to prepare for these two road games.

“Intensity, playing with some poise in the press and just bringing it on a nightly basis.”

Laramie lost a shoot-out, 89-79, to the Tigers in the first match-up just over a month ago in Casper.

Brown is hoping they can, “Control the ball better on the offensive end, and let our offense be a little bit of our defense. I felt like we got in an up-tempo pace with them, and they play in the 80’s and that’s what they’re hoping for. I think if we can have a little bit more poise on the offensive end and don’t shoot 30 three-pointers, or whatever we shot last time we played ‘em, we’ll have a lot more success.”

Rock Springs (5-4) enters with five players averaging in double figures led by freshman sensation Graedyn Buell at 21.8 points per game.

That game’s followed by a second meeting in nine days on Saturday with the now No. 4 ranked Green River Wolves (8-1). They came to Laramie last Thursday night and beat the Plainsmen, 61-59.

Brown said I’ll admit I love Green River and, “How they’re coached. I think they bring it on a nightly basis. She (GR head coach Laurie Ivie) gets the most out of those athletes that you could imagine. We’ve got to match their intensity is really what it comes down to. Athletically, I feel like we’re the superior team, but I think we need to bring and match their effort because with their effort they can beat anybody.”

KOWB (AM 1290) will air live coverage of tonight’s games starting at 5:30 p.m. You can also listen on the KOWB Stream or through the KOWB app.

Saturday will be streaming only through a separate site. Please visit www.network1sports.com/station/kowbnet.

David Settle and VerDon Hoopes will call both doubleheaders.

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