'Heat in hot water
It was a brutal week for Hot Springs girls as they dropped two games, a 17-44 route at Plains on Friday, and then a 35-40 contest at home versus Philipsburg on Saturday. The Savage Heat remain winless, 0-4, on the year.
“It’s [losing] something that we’re not accustomed to,” head coach Scott Wigten said. “I think that staying positive, keeping people motivated and making sure that attitudes stay in check is important.”
On Friday, Hot Springs was outscored in each quarter, failing to score in double digits in any stanza during their loss to the Trotters. The loss was the second straight in which the Savage Heat failed to score 20 points.
“We’re still in a little big of an identity crisis in terms of what we want to do offensively and defensively,” Wigten said. “As far as Plains goes, they did everything really well. They ran their sets, they were patient on offense, they made runs when they had to and they shot well from the free throw line. That’s a tough combination to beat.”
Sophomore guard/forward Alyssa Foster tallied nine points to lead Hot Springs and senior guard Lindsey Salmi added five more in the loss.
Hot Springs was able to rebound from the disappointing performance as they competed for 32 minutes against Granite in their first home game this season.
Despite the loss, Wigten was pleased with the energy and potential his team displayed for the first time this season.
After going into the locker room down 13-17 at half-time, the Savage Heat erupted for a 19 point third quarter, giving them a 32-26 lead heading into the fourth.
“It’s like you’re getting a poor reception on your TV screen and when you move those antennas just right you get to see the picture and then it goes away,” Wigten said. “That really showed us that we do have these spurts in us if we just get the right frequency going.”
In the fourth quarter, the momentum shifted again as Philipsburg outscored the Savage Heat 14-3 to secure the win.
Foster tallied 13 points, and senior Meghan Massingale scored eight in the loss, but perhaps most impressive was the play of freshman Alex Green.
“She’s going to make freshman mistakes and come in and make sure poor decisions, but she made some things happen, she was aggressive, and she didn’t back down from the challenge,” Wigten said.
Green, a key factor for Hot Springs JV squad, saw significant varsity minutes for the first time this year as both primary ball handlers Foster and Salmi were saddled with foul trouble.
Green’s maturation figures to pay dividends down the line enabling Wigten more flexibility in his line-up, playing Salmi as the off guard and dropping Foster inside to play forward.
Philipsburg’s freshman Anna Pence led all players with 16 points and senior Devyn Poser broke double-figures scoring 10 in the Prospectors first win of the season.
There is light at the end of the tunnel for the Savage Heat, as all four of their pre-season games will not affect their post-season chances.
“I’ll take sixteen losses as long as we get it figured out by the tournament,” Wigten said. “The kids have to want this, and understand that it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon and we have a long ways to go.”
Due to their poor start, the Savage Heat will have an opportunity to catch their opponents off guard by playing like they have nothing to lose. Wigten feels his team will do just that in the coming weeks as they realize the pressure of other’s expectations melts away.
Wigten expects his team’s defense to continue to improve as his players learn the ins and outs of playing man defense for the first time in his six years with the program, and as they continue to move around the pieces of his versatile offense until they find the frequency they’re looking for.