Struggling through a season with low numbers and his best player now sidelined with a season-ending injury, Hot Springs girls basketball coach Richard Jackson does not have a lot of time on his hands for worrying about such things.

After all, he is a rancher as well as a coach and right now is calving season in western Montana.

“We have 62 or 63 on the ground right now,” Jackson announced his current calve count Monday night. “So, with basketball going on too, we are pretty busy.”

Jackson and his Savage Heat girls are set to play their final regular season games of the season this weekend – hosting Plains Friday and visiting Noxon Saturday – in anticipation of the District 14C tournament starting next Tuesday (see other story).

The Heat fell 58-15 to the undefeated Lady Vikings in Charlo last Thursday in the only game they played last week.

Team leader Lizzy Fisher led the Heat with eight points in that game, Lily DeTienne added four, Lauren Aldridge two and Brooke Jackson one.

Hayleigh Smith scored 13 points to lead Charlo and twin sisters Connor and Carlee Fryberger added nine points each for the Vikings.

With Katelyn Christensen set to undergo knee surgery as a result of an injury suffered in Plains several weeks ago, Fisher, a senior, has stepped into a larger role for the Heat.

“Lizzy is playing her best ball this season, she has just been real steady for us,” Jackson said. “We are relying on her a lot for a lot of different things right now.”

In the meantime, you might just find Jackson out somewhere on his ranch, helping deliver calves until the cows finally come home.