It was a rough week for the Kemmerer High School girls’ basketball team, who lost their conference opener in a hard-fought contest at home Thursday against Big Piney, then traveled to Utah Saturday for a non-conference matchup against Manila.

The Lady Rangers lost what became a defensive battle against the Lady Punchers Thursday to open 2A Southwest Conference action, 29-26.

Hoping to regroup with a trip across state lines, Kemmerer found their Utah hosts to be anything but hospitable, losing 55-28. The lone bright spot of the Manila game was Lady Ranger Jane Skidmore reaching the career milestone of 1,000 points, hitting the mark on a free throw just before halftime.

The Lady Rangers are back on the road this weekend, with games scheduled at wind River at Wyoming Indian.

Big Piney 29, Lady Rangers 26

The Lady Rangers (3-8, 0-1) opened conference play on their home court last Thursday, welcoming in Big Piney (4-7, 1-0).

The Lady Rangers got off to a solid start, building a 10-4 lead after one quarter, and taking a 16-13 lead into the break.

The Lady Punchers came out of the locker room with all the momentum, however, going on a 10-5 run to start the second half. With a 23-21 lead heading into the final frame, Big Piney outscored the Lady Rangers 6-5 in the final eight minutes to eke out the 29-26 win.

Kemmerer shot a dismal 19.6% from the floor, compared to 33.3% for the Lady Punchers. The Lady Rangers did a nice job limiting turnovers, but couldn’t get shots to fall; Big Piney also won the rebound battle, 31-22.

Janae Skidmore paced the Lady Rangers with 14 points, to go along with four rebounds and four steals. Ella Thatcher followed with eight points — including the team’s only 3-pointer — and six rebounds; she also dished off three assists, and led the team in steals, with four. Cambree Tolhurst and Nataly Ruvalcaba closed out the scoring with two points apiece.

Manila 55, Lady Rangers 28

Official stats weren’t available by Monday’s press deadline, but unofficial stats had Janae skidmore with 14 points — including her 1,000 point — and Nataly Ruvalcaba with nine points in the 55-28 loss.