Glenrock holds off Wheatland in defensive showdown

From the start they knew it was going to test their late-game fortitude. Glenrock came into its home matchup with Wheatland, prepared for a defensive showdown. And those in attendance last Saturday in Glenrock saw every bit of that.
After two-quarters of play, the two teams had combined for just 20 points, an 11-9 lead held by Wheatland on the road.
“Coach (Shawn) Huxtable told us at halftime to bring up the defensive intensity and that it would help us get going on offense,” senior Kale Kuhlman said. “We just had to keep doing what we were doing and maintain the pace.”
Having entered Saturday’s game averaging 58 points per game, Huxtable and his players knew that in order to defeat Wheatland, the script would have to be written a bit differently. So in the second half the Herders began to build momentum, but it wasn’t until the final two minutes of the game that things began to feel promising.
“It probably wasn’t until the last two minutes that we felt like we were in control,” Kuhlman noted. “We hit a lull in the first half, just a little space, but we brought it back.”
Down the final stretch of the game, senior Jaren Fritz caught fire after a rough go of it at the free-throw line, drilling three shots from behind the three-point line in the fourth quarter to put the Herders back on top.
Fritz finished with 17 points to lead Glenrock to go along with six rebounds, three assists and three steals. Kuhlman added 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Tucker Bopp contributed eight points, four assists and three rebounds.
Holding just a three-point lead with a minute left in the game, the Herders locked down on defense and held off the Bulldogs for a 43-40 win in come-from-behind fashion.
“That was a tough one,” Kuhlman said after the win. “But I felt like we did it as a team. They were really good.
“I think it pushes us up from whatever happened last week and got us back to where we want to play.”
Glenrock (9-3) now sets its sights on conference play as they head to Lusk Friday for a 7:30 p.m. start. They’ll then return to Herder Country for a home game against top-ranked Pine Bluffs Saturday. The opening tip is set for 5 p.m.