The Fossil girls basketball team rebounded from their loss to Rocky Mountain with a low scoring 45-37 victory against the Poudre Impalas. The two Fort Collins teams started the games neck and neck, entering halftime with Poudre holding onto a 21-20 lead. This was a win for the Sabercats, as their two leading scorers, Ella Lavigne and Kaycee Steinke were held scoreless due to early foul trouble. Luckily sophomore Gianna Leone picked up the slack, scoring 11 of Fossil’s 20 first half points. Leone finished the day with 14 points, a new career high. 

But Lavigne and Steinke both picked up the scoring in the second half, splitting 20 points right down the middle. 

“I got to get on the court a little more…I wanted to leave it all out there for my last real high school game before playoffs,” Lavigne said. 

This second half explosion was also met with a stout effort on defense, with Fossil only allowing 16 points in the last 16 minutes. After this bounceback and Fort Collins’ victory against Rocky Mountain, ruining the Sabercats’ chance at a second consecutive city championship. This success on both sides of the ball led to Fossil’s second victory in the past five games. Their recent stumbles have moved them firmly into a road playoff during the first round next Tuesday, February 21. But for the Sabercats, this is right where they want to be.

“The fact that we’re underdogs gives us the mindset that we don’t have anything to lose,” Lavigne said. “I think we’re going to come together as a team more.”